NATO airstrike killed over 25 civilians, Afghans say

[seemslikeadream]

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/17/asia/afghan.php

KABUL: A NATO airstrike on a village near the embattled provincial capital of Lashkar Gah killed 25 to 30 civilians, according to Afghan officials in the area.

While NATO confirmed that an airstrike had taken place Thursday in the area, where Taliban fighters have been battling NATO forces, it said the reports were being investigated and that the command was "unable to confirm any civilian casualties."

Reliable information on the airstrike - whether it caused the deaths, as local officials and residents reported, and whether the number of civilian deaths was accurate - was elusive. But any substantial civilian death toll would further inflame an Afghan government and public already uneasy over a recent rise in civilian casualties from coalition airstrikes. U.S. commanders have acknowledged that the war has been going badly in recent months as the Taliban and Al Qaeda have stepped up their campaign of bombings and assassinations.

Residents claiming to have witnessed the airstrike said at least 18 bodies, all women and children - including one only 6 months old - were pulled from the rubble and taken to the provincial governor's compound in protest.

At nightfall Thursday in Kabul, the NATO command issued a statement confirming only that an airstrike had taken place in the Nadali District, northwest of Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand Province in the southwest.

[Johnny Potpie]

1. Oh Boy.

More unneeded death. :eyes: This is why I hope President Obama will put an end to this and divert money from the war machine to healthcare. Can we evolve yet???

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Your post is vintage Johnny Potpie 101.... n/t

[Johnny Potpie]

3. What's wrong with what I said?

I don't know if you're insulting me or supporting me. My point is that people's lives are more important than death from unneeded wars. That's not outrageous to you, I hope.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Well... let me see, I was making reference to the fact that that was

your 101st post in an attempt at humor, and today at work when everyone was cheering at a video in which 4 ME men were dusted by an A10 Warthog from almost two miles away with a 30mm cannon I promptly reminded them that Rummy once said that he wasn't sure if we were creating "terrorists" faster than we were killing them. No, I was not jeering at you but just being humorous and it wasn't a particularly good attempt, my bad.

[Johnny Potpie]

7. Oh

Then it was my bad. And I'm sorry for my misunderstanding. :pals:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. Yeah buddy... I love potpies btw. n/t

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

4. Indiscriminate bombing resulting in appreciable...

...civilian casualties is a WAR CRIME. And this is not the exception for our aerial raids, it has become the norm.

[malaise]

6. Nothing new here

Another day, another slaughter of innocents.