39 dead in blast at Afghanistan wedding

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- A bombing at a wedding ceremony Wednesday in Afghanistan's Kandahar province killed 39 people and wounded 73 others, officials in the village of Nagaan said.

The International Security Assistance Force confirmed the bombing but had no information on casualties. They and Afghan forces have secured the area, they said.

The explosion came during the wedding dinner, between 9:30 and 10 p.m., striking the area where the men and boys were dining separately from the women. All the casualties were men or boys, village officials said.

The incident took place in the Arghanab district, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the city of Kandahar.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/06/09/afghanistan.wedding.bomb/index.html

[Arctic Dave]

1. No one is claiming it?

Who do we know that bombed weddings in the past?

[grantcart]

25. Taliban claims responsibility

The hanging comes as a Taliban commander in neighboring Kandahar province -- the Taliban's traditional home territory -- tells CBS News that a suicide attack on a wedding party that left 40 people dead was "collective punishment" for villagers standing up to the Islamic militants' control in the region.



http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20007316-503543.html?tag=stack

[elias49]

27. Bad link -

[Robb]

29. "Who do we know that bombed weddings in the past?"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4001014&mesg_id=4003864">The Taliban. 21 dead.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4397120&mesg_id=4397120">The Taliban. 2 dead.

and

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=4305347">The Taliban. 27 dead.

Reality is not just whatever's in your head. :hi:

[elias49]

30. Reality is not established by cherry-picking facts either...

:boring:

[Robb]

31. Yes, but I have more.

NATO hit a single wedding party, by accident, in nine years of operation in Afghanistan.

The Taliban have intentionally, and successfully, killed civilians at nine different weddings in the past 10 months.

Your sleeping smiley is wholly appropriate. :)

[elias49]

33. Ooops! Forgot about that Nov '08 thing, Robb?? 23 children

and 10 women?
To our credit, we "apologize and express our condolences"
Makes everything OK??

Frankly, I'm tired of the apologists like yourself who say that because the Taliban do it - and maybe do it MORE! - then it's OK if we do the same. Bullshit.
Wake up and show us your propagandist credentials.

[Robb]

34. Not at all.

I mentioned NATO's wedding bombing. One.

I didn't say it was "OK," either, nor the other things you're on about.

You're not making a lot of sense... you don't understand the difference between one accidental bombing of a wedding party versus several intentional bombings of wedding parties? Or are you of the mind this latest bombing is "OK"?

Or, more likely, do you simply want to call anyone who disagrees with you a propagandist? While, I'd point out, doing your best to divert attention from the fact that several in this thread actually did "blame America first." It's so stereotypical you can't possibly be sincere.

Whatever the plan, it's not well thought out, IMO. If I've got you pegged wrong, and you'd like to talk about Afghanistan, let me know. I'll be around. :hi:

[EFerrari]

2. Bring them home NOW.

[OhioChick]

3. Agreed. It's long overdue. n/t

[Amerigo Vespucci]

4. One of the primary reasons I voted for Obama

Mr. President, I'm waiting.

[OnlinePoker]

28. What are you talking about

As a candidate, he said he wanted to expand the fight into Pakistan.

[Arrowhead2k1]

5. Still don't know what caused the explosion.

Could have been a drone for all we know... Wouldn't be the first time a drone hit a wedding.

[humbled_opinion]

6. Bomb Kills 39, Hits Wedding in Afghanistan

Source: cbsnews

(AP) An official in southern Afghanistan says 39 people have been killed in a blast in Kandahar province's Argandab district.

Provincial executive director Mohammad Annus says the explosion hit about 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday. He said more than 70 people were wounded. He did not provide further details.

Relatives of the wounded gathered at an area hospital.

A man named Abdul Khalik who had two nephews injured said that they were in the middle of a large marriage ceremony when the explosion ripped through the area.

The bombing followed the downing of a NATO helicopter by the Taliban, which killed four American servicemen.



Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/09/world/main6565380.shtml

---

Why? Summary executions now! I am no longer sure that our President is a humanist.

[obxhead]

7. Things like this just swell the ranks of the 'enemy'

Come on Obama, I know you can come to your senses and end this useless war.

[crim son]

8. This isn't the first wedding we've bombed.

It makes me sick.

[Robb]

32. You must feel better now. nt

[KG]

9. all part of the US mission to kill afghans to spare them from being killed by the taliban

[SILVER__FOX52]

10. And the insanity continues.........

We are now a failed nation.

[happy_liberal]

11. What the fucking fuck!

Why do we accept this?!

They are cutting people off of disability, but they are building a new special ops base in Afghanistan.

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." MLK


WE ARE KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE WITH US TAX DOLLARS!

If these assholes want to be drug dealers they can do it on their own fucking time with their own fucking money. I am fucking sick of the US government*US!* paying for the CIA's dirty deeds. They have their own private army, isn't anyone else worried this is just out..of...control? If we do cut the war off, the CIA will continue it with blackwater and the 2.3 trillion they probably put away somewhere. WE took a major wrong turn somewhere....can someone find the directions because we are seriously lost!

[wordpix]

12. the article does not say this was a US bomb that did the carnage

Why is everyone on this board jumping to conclusions? You know for a fact it was a US bomb? Where's the link?

[humbled_opinion]

14. Well it leaves a vague clue from the article....

The bombing followed the downing of a NATO helicopter by the Taliban, which killed four American servicemen.

[wordpix]

15. so what? That means a US bomb blew up a wedding? No, it doesn't

Nothing like jumping to conclusions based on no facts :puke:

[humbled_opinion]

18. delete

[humbled_opinion]

20. My bad assumption... sorry.... n/t

[Barack_America]

17. That's just an example of poor journalism.

Clearly the author wants this to be another US/NATO mistake, but has no facts to back that up.

[humbled_opinion]

19. Delete

[Barack_America]

13. May have been a car bomb.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7018946625

[Barack_America]

16. Now Reuters is reporting a suicide bomb.

http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE65907X20100610

[rayofreason]

21. I wonder if posters 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11...

...are ready to apologize for leaping to conclusions on the basis of a poorly written article by a "journalist" who seems to have wished to lay this event at the door of the US and NATO.

As more info comes out (see post 16) it appears that it was a Taliban suicide bomber who did the deed. And it was not an accident, it was not a targeting error, or a mistake due to faulty intelligence. It was deliberate, planned, and successful.

[elias49]

22. Could say the same about post 21

Nowhere in the Reuters article is it confirmed that the Taleban was responsible. Lets EVERYONE wait and see how this turns out. Historically, the Taleban has been eager to take 'responsibility' for acts of violence and carnage. Not so this time. That alone makes me wonder...
IF it was a NATO bomb, it may well signal an early end to the 'Kandahar offensive'.

[Alamuti Lotus]

23. fyi, Taliban are denying any responsibility

which may or may not mean much. The family that was targeted are key members of the local police; probably a rivalry between the local police gangs and local drug gangs (which are often the same gang, now that I think about it, especially in Walid Karzai's stomping grounds).

[rayofreason]

24. More info...

http://itn.co.uk/2082bd7fcbcc5dd69d44a04e42860a76.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/10/afghanistan-kandahar-wedding-party-explosion (best info, provides motive)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10280157.stm

Taliban will deny it, of course, knowing that everyone knows who really did it and why - Work with the US to defend yourself against Taliban/Drug Lords and this is what you get. Same old racket all murderous gangsters pull.

[Elmore Furth]

26. AP: Wedding Bomb Victims Included Anti-Taliban Guards

KABUL, Afghanistan — The groom and 17 of the guests at a rural Kandahar wedding party attacked by a suicide bomber on Wednesday night were members of an anti-Taliban guard organization encouraged initially by American Special Operations forces, and the bomber’s goal appeared to be to undermine support for the group, elders and government officials in the area said Thursday.

“People from all walks of life are participating in a wedding: they are teachers, they are farmers, they are scholars, they are children,” said the governor, Tooryalai Wesa. “It’s not legal to kill large numbers of innocent people,” he said.

Forty wedding guests were killed and 87 were wounded, according to the governor’s office.

The commander of the group, known as an arbeki, a traditional form of a village defense force, said the American forces had supported him at the beginning but then had backed away and never delivered ammunition or other promised support. His force is homegrown and home funded, said the commander, Mohammed Nabi Kako.


Wedding Bomb Victims Included Anti-Taliban Guards