Friday, May 11, 2007

More civilian casualties in Afghanistan

The ‘cost of war’ like the civilian casualties went up 90% during the first Gulf Massacre and it is on the rise. This situation worsened because of deliberately targeting water, electricity and other utility infrastructures as the USA did destroy more than 90% such infrastructures in Iraq on that time. To make things worse, the USA administration has added demonizing opponents based on their race and religion during military training sessions and in the operation theatres! The net impact of these deadly combinations has increased the civilian casualties by moirĂ© than 96%. To-days Iraq and Afghanistan are two prime examples of such a cruel reality. Unless the mankind finds a way out of this deliberately nurtured evil, we may be heading for greater tragedy.



Right now, opponents of the Talibans and Saddam are joining with others to fight against the Anglo-Americans and such a rage will rise continuously.



More civilian casualties in Afghanistan
smh.com.au
May 11, 2007 - 4:54PM

The US-led coalition confirmed a battle between US forces and Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan caused civilian casualties and a joint Afghan-US investigation was under way.

The governor of Helmand province has said 21 civilians were killed in airstrikes on Tuesday in the Sangin area, though residents said the civilian death toll was higher.

In a statement late yesterday, the coalition said it had treated 20 Afghan civilians wounded in the 16-hour battle, including a child who later died of its wounds.

"There are confirmed reports of civilian casualties, but it was unclear how many," the statement said.

"A joint Afghan and coalition force inquiry is being conducted."

General Dan McNeill, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan, told National Public Radio "it does appear there were civilian casualties," but it wasn't clear what caused them.

He said it was likely the Taliban militants had been firing on coalition forces from civilian homes.

US Special Forces "got into an ambush by a far superior force, and as they tried to work their way through this by shooting and moving, it became clear this was a pretty good size insurgent force who also could shoot and move pretty well," McNeill told NPR.

"And eventually the only way they were going (to) get out of it ... was to use airstrikes. It did not dissuade the insurgents," he said.

The battle in Sangin marked the third major incident resulting in civilian deaths in the last several months, sparking outrage among Afghans and a warning from President Hamid Karzai that civilian deaths can no longer be tolerated.

In March US Marines Special Forces fired on civilians after a suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan, killing 19 civilians and wounding 50.

Late last month airstrikes and fighting killed some 50 civilians in the western province of Herat, Afghan and UN officials say.

AP