The War The Pentagon Versus the British Media
posted by on July 11 at 12:27 PM
BBC News and The Guardian confirm the U.S. air strike that killed 47 Afghan civilians that the Pentagon continues to deny.
From The Guardian:
A US air strike killed 47 civilians, including 39 women and children, as they were travelling to a wedding in Afghanistan, an official inquiry found today. The bride was among the dead.
From the Pentagon, via VOA News:
The Pentagon says no civilians were killed in an air strike Sunday in a remote area of eastern Afghanistan, which local officials say killed 27 people who were walking to a wedding. U.S. military officials in Kabul say they believe the air strike hit its intended target, a group of militants. Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman confirmed that view. “I can only tell you I talked to Afghanistan this morning, and they are very clear with that particular strike that they believe they struck the intended target and that there were not innocent civilians involved in that particular strike,” said Whitman.The reports of civilian casualties came from Afghan officials, who said they spoke to people in the remote area by telephone. The U.S. military says Taliban militants often pressure villagers into claiming civilian casualties after air strikes.
Alrighty then.
Geez, are you implying that our leaders would somehow lie to us? That's hard to believe.
*peeks out*
Is it January yet?
And really... who are you going to believe? Some FOREIGN media or our very own honorable, trustworthy pentagon?
Remember, President Obama will now be able to wiretap all Treasonous Neocons phones, internet, and call up their cable pr0n viewing habits and use them to ensure passage of his bills, once our fine troops are home.
Payback's a bitch.
i want to 'talk to afghanistan'. i didn't know you could just call up a geographical location like that.
We keep winning those hearts and minds in the Middle East. Isn't war wonderful?
Without photographs, everyone is lying.
Why is it always a wedding that these airstrikes hit? It's like they're using bride-seeking missiles.
God bless you, Mattymatt.
"Bride-seeking missiles" is nice.
I have a bridesmaid-seeking missile.
missiles are attracted to weddings like tornadoes are attracted to mobile homes
Winning hearts and minds. Go U.S.A.!!!
It's not really bride-seeking missiles - many of the drones are operated from Cali - my guess is some in-the-closet military type in the USAF remotely operating the drones has a problem with straight people getting married who are Muslim.
Somebody put WiS in a bridal gown, stat.
Lol, I can't see any drones around my building, so you're wasting your time. Mind you, I suppose I'm visible on Satellite ... but that's not as fun as GPS guided "smart" dumb bombs with a target assist from a drone.
maybe they were militant gays going to a wedding?
An Afghani government official I know quite well has indicated 2 possibilities:
1. One Afghani tribe, opposed to the one that lost the 47 civilians, helped the US call in the airstrike - either from near to where the tragedy occurred, or actually in the US or NATO regional command centre, & persuaded the US/NATO commander that the targets for the three single LGB (laser-guided bomb) attacks were legitimate targets (ie Taliban).
2. Alternatively or also, either the pilot or the mission control commander at base (more likely the latter) were new to Afghanistan & therefore inexperienced - both in real-life warfare, & also in how things can work out very unexpectedly for well-meaning non-Afghanis!
Interestingly, I saw a BBC video clip in which their reporter & his camera crew walked totally without escort all around the area, which allegedly had been full of Taliban a few days before & therefore deserving of the airstrike that had killed the 47 civilians in the 3 separate LGB bomb strikes. The tribes people were digging graves, but there were not enough bodies for all the graves because (as they said) very few body parts had survived the bomb blasts & therefore were needing burial. That surely is pointless in a place where the ground is rock-hard, unless perhaps the whole thing was contrived anyway!
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