U.S. Special Ops Ordered Deadly Afghan Strike (May Have Not Followed Rules of Engagement)

[tekisui]

Source: Wall Street Journal

KABUL—U.S. Special Operations Forces ordered an airstrike that killed at least 27 civilians in southern Afghanistan and the soldiers may not have satisfied rules of engagement designed to avoid the killing of innocents, Afghan and coalition officials said Monday.

The airstrike Sunday hit a group of minibuses in a remote part of the south near the border between Uruzgan and Daykundi provinces. The area is hundreds of miles from Marjah, where the largest allied offensive since 2001 is now in its second week. But the airstrike nonetheless illustrated one of the major problems for coalition forces as they try to win over civilians in Marjah and across Afghanistan: figuring out who is a civilian and who is an insurgent—and not killing the civilians.

It also underscored the risks of the expanding use of Special Operations Forces, whose core mission is hunting down hard-core Taliban, as the leading edge of the fight against the insurgents. Many Special Operations missions by their very nature emphasize the use of violent force, and coalition officials say they have led to a string of recent successes against valuable targets.

more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704057604575080640203691352.html?mod=WSJ-hpp-LEFTTopStories

[indepat]

1. Me thinks Americans fighting terrorists on someone else's soil should not kill

civilians any more cavalierly than if some other country's military were hunting down terrorists on American soil. In fact, I suspect most Americans would take great umbrage were such as this happening on our soil. Just a guess, mind you. :D