A US warplane attacked a patrol of Afghan border police in the southern Helmand Province overnight, killing “several” and wounding a number of others. There are still conflicting reports on the exact death toll, but DPA suggested that as many as 10 police were slain in the operation.
The US confirmed the incident as a “friendly-fire” incident and has promised an investigation. They initially claimed that the plane was under attack and had to respond, but now are saying that the Afghan police were “patrolling too close to a Taliban base.”
Taliban forces have gained a large amount of territory across the Helmand Province, including parts of the capital city of Lashkar Gah. It is therefore difficult to envision a patrol route that wouldn’t put the Afghan forces at least somewhat close to some Taliban base or other.
Either way, the US offered “deepest condolences” for killing the Afghan security forces. There is no indication that the operation did any material harm to the Taliban base itself, which apparently was to be their intended target until they saw a random patrol wandering around the area and decided to attack that instead.
Don’t believe it, for it is not rocket science to program a computer such that it displays the exact location of every government patrol wondering around after dark. And with mind fields so prolific the use of night patrols must be quite rare.
More likely, the government patrol was getting too close to one of our terrorist groups or about to do much damage to the Taliban and expedite the end of the war, heaven forbid. For endless war is essential to achieve endless Empire expansion.
Or they were shot just for fun. Green on blue works both ways.
General Patton
“Americans love war, we love a good fight.”
Or payback for the Army Rangers killed although I don’t know which happened first.
Wouldn’t matter at this point; the well of good will is so poisoned between them in so many other ways beyond green on blue incidents. For example, apparently some Afghani draftees think Western showers are also latrines… this is probably less cultural differences and more obviously hazing the invader.
Its probably far worse for the average soldier outside exclusively American bases than it was for the U.S. soldiers in Vietnam. In Vietnam killing civvies was widespread yet deep segregation between imperial and native troops not required.
The surest way to recruit more turncoats. US continues to fight a lost war. Does it matter ? Of course not as long as money can be made from war and selling weapons.