NATO air strike kills two children, nine suspected Taliban in Afghanistan

[UnrepentantLiberal]

Source: Reuters



GHAZNI, Afghanistan - A NATO helicopter supporting Afghan security forces killed two children and nine suspected Taliban fighters on Saturday, officials said, a month after President Hamid Karzai forbade troops to call for foreign air support.

The deaths reopen an often heated debate between those who blame NATO air strikes for civilian deaths and others who argue that NATO air support is vital for protecting vulnerable Afghan security forces.

Afghan police had been patrolling in the southeastern town of Ghazni when they came under attack by insurgents, NATO spokesman Major Adam Wojack said.

"International Security Assistance Forces supported the Afghan unit in contact by engaging the insurgent forces with helicopter-delivered direct fire," he said, adding the coalition was investigating reports of civilian casualties.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/30/us-afghanistan-airstrike-idUSBRE92T03020130330

[TwilightGardener]

1. Well, would Karzai rather his Afghan forces get slaughtered, or receive NATO air support?

I understand it's politically unpopular, but Afghan troop morale and retention isn't going to be very good if they don't have backup in bad situations.

[nauthiz]

3. Believe me, they have more basic problems

Like not getting pay on time, having their families not being notified when they're injured, and essentially being left to rot by the chain of command.

Karzai is thinking of his people first, and puts their safety over killing the Taliban. It means he errs on one side moreso than the other, sacrificing one for the other. I can't necessarily blame him for wanting to do that, given how many times innocent people have gotten mowed down by U.S. and NATO troops for no reason. Was the same in Vietnam. Little boys in a rice paddy were just slaughtered because some commander wants to "take it to the enemy" or whatever it is war mongers tend to think.

After we leave I have no idea how things will turn out. The Taliban may have to become enfranchised as a means of diluting their power. There are plenty of regions in Afghanistan that don't want Karzai, NATO, or the Taliban, so we'll see if there are mini insurrections while the main wrangling happens in Kabul.

[cosmicone]

2. If Taliban didn't want children to die

they would disarm and surrender instead of carrying on for their Pakistani ISI masters.

The blame is squarely on Pakistan, not NATO.

[azurnoir]

4. but they presumably got the bad guys and that's what counts

besides what would those kids have grown up to be anyways? just in case


or at least that seems the attitude from the top down about this, oh maybe they'll mouth it was unfortunate or we're sorry, but that's only until the next time