[The] collective picture that emerges is a very disturbing one. We today learn of nearly 150 incidents in which coalition forces, including British troops, have killed or injured civilians, most of which have never been reported; of hundreds of border clashes between Afghan and Pakistani troops, two armies which are supposed to be allies; of the existence of a special forces unit whose tasks include killing Taliban and al-Qaida leaders; of the slaughter of civilians caught by the Taliban's improvised explosive devices; and of a catalogue of incidents where coalition troops have fired on and killed each other or fellow Afghans under arms.
Reading these logs, many may suspect there is sometimes a casual disregard for the lives of innocents. A bus that fails to slow for a foot patrol is raked with gunfire, killing four passengers and wounding 11 others. The documents tell how, in going after a foreign fighter, a special forces unit ended up with seven dead children. The infants were not their immediate priority. A report marked "Noforn" (not for foreign elements of the coalition) suggests their main concern was to conceal the mobile rocket system that had just been used.
In these documents, Iran's and Pakistan's intelligence agencies run riot. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is linked to some of the war's most notorious commanders.
Man, where to start...
- Civilians killed left, right and centre; and the coalition does not seem to care much, "casual disregard for the lives of innocents..."
- "hundreds of border clashes between Afghan and Pakistani troops, two armies which are supposed to be allies..."
- "slaughter of civilians caught by the Taliban's improvised explosive device"
And so on... a massive cluster-fuck.
Schnews DIY Guide
3 comments:
From Andrew Sullivan (I like this Sully v2.0, he is truly paying penance for lame war-cheerleading right after 9-11):
"We are fighting a war as much against the intelligence services of Pakistan as we are the Taliban. They are a seamless part of the same whole, and until Pakistan is transformed (about as likely as Afghanistan), we will be fighting with two hands tied behind our backs.
This is the Taliban's country. Fighting them on their own ground, when they can appear in disguise, can terrify residents by night if not by day, and fight and then melt away into the netherworld of mountains and valleys is all but impossible. And as the occupation fails to secure popular support (and after ten years and a deeply corrupt government in Kabul, who can blame the Afghans?), the counter-insurgency model becomes even less plausible than it was before."
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/07/the-unwinnable-war-i.html
Predictable outcome of using fantasy as a planning tool for war. I think there is a meaningful distinction between Obama and McCain, so I don't completely regret voting for Obama, but Obama & team indulge in the exact same fantasies as GWB & team; good cowboys shoot bad injuns, ride off into the sunset.
Many peple thk that it`s not right. But it`a not right. I will be with my opinion
The article was very interesting and informative for me.
Post a Comment