SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Afghan Officials Warn US over Attack That Killed 18 Civilians
US acted with unilateral authority in deadly strike, ignoring recent agreements
Jun 10, 2012
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's chief spokesman, Aimal Faizi, on Saturday said a missile attack that killed 18 civilians last week -- nine of them children including an infant -- was ordered unilaterally by the US military and that such actions betray the recent security pact signed between the two countries.
He called for an end to US bombings in residential areas and said that innocent lives would have been saved if the US had taken the time to consult with Afghan military forces on the ground.
"If the bombings on Afghan homes continue, they will be regarded as a violation and an act of aggression," Faizi said.
Nine of the victims were children, including an infant, five were women and three were elderly people, police said.
* * *
The Guardian reports:
The Afghan government has hit out at the US for failing to consult with local forces ahead of an airstrike that killed 18 civilians, suggesting future such raids would be viewed as a breach of its pact with Washington.
An investigation into Wednesday's night-time raid found that it was the result of "a one-sided decision, and not co-ordinated with Afghan security forces", President Hamid Karzai's spokesman Aimal Faiz said.
He went on to suggest that a repeat of the unilateral strike would be seen as a violation of a pact between the two countries over who takes the lead in "special operations" in the country.
Signed in April, the agreement puts the Afghan government in charge of such manoeuvres - a move designed to resolve some of the longstanding tensions between the two countries. [...]
As part of the transition of power, more agreements are expected to be signed handing responsibility for security matters to Afghan forces.
But investigators looking into the circumstances surrounding the latest loss of civilian life in an airborne attack concluded that the call was made by US authorities alone.
* * *
Reuters adds:
NATO initially said its forces and Afghan troops came under fire during the operation to capture a Taliban commander and they called for an air strike.
It said operational reports indicated that two women received non-life threatening injuries and that a number of insurgents were killed.
Later, as villagers displayed bodies of women and children from the ruins of two houses, the NATO-led force said it had ordered an investigation. Nine of the victims were children, including an infant, five were women and three were elderly people, police said.
Karzai's chief spokesman, Aimal Faizi, said the air strike was ordered unilaterally without coordinating with the Afghan forces on the ground.
Afghan forces had surrounded the compound and if there was firing coming from inside they could have dealt with it, he said. "A few minutes of patience would have saved the lives of civilians."
# # #
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's chief spokesman, Aimal Faizi, on Saturday said a missile attack that killed 18 civilians last week -- nine of them children including an infant -- was ordered unilaterally by the US military and that such actions betray the recent security pact signed between the two countries.
He called for an end to US bombings in residential areas and said that innocent lives would have been saved if the US had taken the time to consult with Afghan military forces on the ground.
"If the bombings on Afghan homes continue, they will be regarded as a violation and an act of aggression," Faizi said.
Nine of the victims were children, including an infant, five were women and three were elderly people, police said.
* * *
The Guardian reports:
The Afghan government has hit out at the US for failing to consult with local forces ahead of an airstrike that killed 18 civilians, suggesting future such raids would be viewed as a breach of its pact with Washington.
An investigation into Wednesday's night-time raid found that it was the result of "a one-sided decision, and not co-ordinated with Afghan security forces", President Hamid Karzai's spokesman Aimal Faiz said.
He went on to suggest that a repeat of the unilateral strike would be seen as a violation of a pact between the two countries over who takes the lead in "special operations" in the country.
Signed in April, the agreement puts the Afghan government in charge of such manoeuvres - a move designed to resolve some of the longstanding tensions between the two countries. [...]
As part of the transition of power, more agreements are expected to be signed handing responsibility for security matters to Afghan forces.
But investigators looking into the circumstances surrounding the latest loss of civilian life in an airborne attack concluded that the call was made by US authorities alone.
* * *
Reuters adds:
NATO initially said its forces and Afghan troops came under fire during the operation to capture a Taliban commander and they called for an air strike.
It said operational reports indicated that two women received non-life threatening injuries and that a number of insurgents were killed.
Later, as villagers displayed bodies of women and children from the ruins of two houses, the NATO-led force said it had ordered an investigation. Nine of the victims were children, including an infant, five were women and three were elderly people, police said.
Karzai's chief spokesman, Aimal Faizi, said the air strike was ordered unilaterally without coordinating with the Afghan forces on the ground.
Afghan forces had surrounded the compound and if there was firing coming from inside they could have dealt with it, he said. "A few minutes of patience would have saved the lives of civilians."
# # #
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's chief spokesman, Aimal Faizi, on Saturday said a missile attack that killed 18 civilians last week -- nine of them children including an infant -- was ordered unilaterally by the US military and that such actions betray the recent security pact signed between the two countries.
He called for an end to US bombings in residential areas and said that innocent lives would have been saved if the US had taken the time to consult with Afghan military forces on the ground.
"If the bombings on Afghan homes continue, they will be regarded as a violation and an act of aggression," Faizi said.
Nine of the victims were children, including an infant, five were women and three were elderly people, police said.
* * *
The Guardian reports:
The Afghan government has hit out at the US for failing to consult with local forces ahead of an airstrike that killed 18 civilians, suggesting future such raids would be viewed as a breach of its pact with Washington.
An investigation into Wednesday's night-time raid found that it was the result of "a one-sided decision, and not co-ordinated with Afghan security forces", President Hamid Karzai's spokesman Aimal Faiz said.
He went on to suggest that a repeat of the unilateral strike would be seen as a violation of a pact between the two countries over who takes the lead in "special operations" in the country.
Signed in April, the agreement puts the Afghan government in charge of such manoeuvres - a move designed to resolve some of the longstanding tensions between the two countries. [...]
As part of the transition of power, more agreements are expected to be signed handing responsibility for security matters to Afghan forces.
But investigators looking into the circumstances surrounding the latest loss of civilian life in an airborne attack concluded that the call was made by US authorities alone.
* * *
Reuters adds:
NATO initially said its forces and Afghan troops came under fire during the operation to capture a Taliban commander and they called for an air strike.
It said operational reports indicated that two women received non-life threatening injuries and that a number of insurgents were killed.
Later, as villagers displayed bodies of women and children from the ruins of two houses, the NATO-led force said it had ordered an investigation. Nine of the victims were children, including an infant, five were women and three were elderly people, police said.
Karzai's chief spokesman, Aimal Faizi, said the air strike was ordered unilaterally without coordinating with the Afghan forces on the ground.
Afghan forces had surrounded the compound and if there was firing coming from inside they could have dealt with it, he said. "A few minutes of patience would have saved the lives of civilians."
# # #
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.