Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a news conference in Kabul December 8, 2012.
(REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail)
Jan 10, 2014
Blaming "poor visibility"--not more than twelve years of a war without cause or purpose--Afghan officials say that U.S. Marines stationed in Helmand Province have shot and killed a four year old boy.
"As the weather was dusty, the marine forces based there thought he was an enemy and opened fire. As result of mistaken fire, he was killed," Omar Zwak, spokesman for the governor of the southern province of Helmand, told Reuters.
In response, the Karzai government has called for an unilateral suspension of U.S./Nato military operations taking place in homes and villages.
"We have called ... for an absolute end to ISAF/NATO military operations on homes and villages in order to avoid such killings where innocent children or civilians are the victims," said presidential spokesman, Aimal Faizi, referring to the latest killing of an Afghan child.
Further details of the incident were not available, but a NATO official said the incident would be investigated. Most media outlets connected the death of the young child to the ongoing negotiations between Karzai and the U.S. over a still unsigned Bilateral Security Agreement that would allow U.S. troops to remain in the country long past the current end of 2014 deadline.
No word yet on how the parents, family or friends of the four year old boy killed feel about the possible extension of the U.S. presence.
___________________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Blaming "poor visibility"--not more than twelve years of a war without cause or purpose--Afghan officials say that U.S. Marines stationed in Helmand Province have shot and killed a four year old boy.
"As the weather was dusty, the marine forces based there thought he was an enemy and opened fire. As result of mistaken fire, he was killed," Omar Zwak, spokesman for the governor of the southern province of Helmand, told Reuters.
In response, the Karzai government has called for an unilateral suspension of U.S./Nato military operations taking place in homes and villages.
"We have called ... for an absolute end to ISAF/NATO military operations on homes and villages in order to avoid such killings where innocent children or civilians are the victims," said presidential spokesman, Aimal Faizi, referring to the latest killing of an Afghan child.
Further details of the incident were not available, but a NATO official said the incident would be investigated. Most media outlets connected the death of the young child to the ongoing negotiations between Karzai and the U.S. over a still unsigned Bilateral Security Agreement that would allow U.S. troops to remain in the country long past the current end of 2014 deadline.
No word yet on how the parents, family or friends of the four year old boy killed feel about the possible extension of the U.S. presence.
___________________________
Blaming "poor visibility"--not more than twelve years of a war without cause or purpose--Afghan officials say that U.S. Marines stationed in Helmand Province have shot and killed a four year old boy.
"As the weather was dusty, the marine forces based there thought he was an enemy and opened fire. As result of mistaken fire, he was killed," Omar Zwak, spokesman for the governor of the southern province of Helmand, told Reuters.
In response, the Karzai government has called for an unilateral suspension of U.S./Nato military operations taking place in homes and villages.
"We have called ... for an absolute end to ISAF/NATO military operations on homes and villages in order to avoid such killings where innocent children or civilians are the victims," said presidential spokesman, Aimal Faizi, referring to the latest killing of an Afghan child.
Further details of the incident were not available, but a NATO official said the incident would be investigated. Most media outlets connected the death of the young child to the ongoing negotiations between Karzai and the U.S. over a still unsigned Bilateral Security Agreement that would allow U.S. troops to remain in the country long past the current end of 2014 deadline.
No word yet on how the parents, family or friends of the four year old boy killed feel about the possible extension of the U.S. presence.
___________________________
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.