"Killer drones are just one of the tools our government has used over the last 25 years in the Mideast," Flores said. (Photo: The Intercept)
Apr 08, 2016
Local officials and elders in Afghanistan said U.S. airstrikes had killed at least 17 civilians on Thursday, contradicting Pentagon claims that only militants had been hit and fomenting continued "destruction and anger."
The New York Times reported that Hajji Muhammad Hasan, a former senator from the Gomal District in Paktika Province, said three drones had hit the area of Nematabad on Wednesday, killing a local elder on his way to mediate a land dispute.
The elder, Hajji Rozuddin, was "strongly anti-Taliban," Hasan told the Times. "The car was completely destroyed, and there was little of the bodies left."
A second and third strike soon after killed an additional five people who had arrived on the scene. Shaista Khan Akhtarzada, the district governor of Gomal, said an investigation team had determined those killed were civilians.
Following news of the strikes, peace activists in the U.S. called for an end to the aerial war in Afghanistan. One such activist was Mary Anne Grady Flores, a grandmother of three who was recently released from 49 days in jail for charges that stemmed from her 2014 arrest during an anti-drone protest at a New York air base.
"It's obvious that the actions of our government are just creating more destruction and anger."
--Mary Anne Grady Flores, peace activist
"The U.S. military killed an elder in Afghanistan on his way to mediate a land dispute," Flores said Friday. "Then drone pilots carried out a triple tap--targeting first responders...then the next three who came to help."
"It's obvious that the actions of our government are just creating more destruction and anger," Flores said. "We citizens must stop U.S. state sponsored terror through the use of killer drones."
Flores was arrested while photographing eight Catholic drone protesters outside the Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Mattydale, New York, which prosecutors said violated a protection order that barred activists from going near Col. Earl Evans and his workplace. Drone missions are operated out of Hancock.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. 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. Our Summer Campaign is now underway, and there’s never been a more urgent time for Common Dreams to be as vigilant as possible. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Local officials and elders in Afghanistan said U.S. airstrikes had killed at least 17 civilians on Thursday, contradicting Pentagon claims that only militants had been hit and fomenting continued "destruction and anger."
The New York Times reported that Hajji Muhammad Hasan, a former senator from the Gomal District in Paktika Province, said three drones had hit the area of Nematabad on Wednesday, killing a local elder on his way to mediate a land dispute.
The elder, Hajji Rozuddin, was "strongly anti-Taliban," Hasan told the Times. "The car was completely destroyed, and there was little of the bodies left."
A second and third strike soon after killed an additional five people who had arrived on the scene. Shaista Khan Akhtarzada, the district governor of Gomal, said an investigation team had determined those killed were civilians.
Following news of the strikes, peace activists in the U.S. called for an end to the aerial war in Afghanistan. One such activist was Mary Anne Grady Flores, a grandmother of three who was recently released from 49 days in jail for charges that stemmed from her 2014 arrest during an anti-drone protest at a New York air base.
"It's obvious that the actions of our government are just creating more destruction and anger."
--Mary Anne Grady Flores, peace activist
"The U.S. military killed an elder in Afghanistan on his way to mediate a land dispute," Flores said Friday. "Then drone pilots carried out a triple tap--targeting first responders...then the next three who came to help."
"It's obvious that the actions of our government are just creating more destruction and anger," Flores said. "We citizens must stop U.S. state sponsored terror through the use of killer drones."
Flores was arrested while photographing eight Catholic drone protesters outside the Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Mattydale, New York, which prosecutors said violated a protection order that barred activists from going near Col. Earl Evans and his workplace. Drone missions are operated out of Hancock.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Local officials and elders in Afghanistan said U.S. airstrikes had killed at least 17 civilians on Thursday, contradicting Pentagon claims that only militants had been hit and fomenting continued "destruction and anger."
The New York Times reported that Hajji Muhammad Hasan, a former senator from the Gomal District in Paktika Province, said three drones had hit the area of Nematabad on Wednesday, killing a local elder on his way to mediate a land dispute.
The elder, Hajji Rozuddin, was "strongly anti-Taliban," Hasan told the Times. "The car was completely destroyed, and there was little of the bodies left."
A second and third strike soon after killed an additional five people who had arrived on the scene. Shaista Khan Akhtarzada, the district governor of Gomal, said an investigation team had determined those killed were civilians.
Following news of the strikes, peace activists in the U.S. called for an end to the aerial war in Afghanistan. One such activist was Mary Anne Grady Flores, a grandmother of three who was recently released from 49 days in jail for charges that stemmed from her 2014 arrest during an anti-drone protest at a New York air base.
"It's obvious that the actions of our government are just creating more destruction and anger."
--Mary Anne Grady Flores, peace activist
"The U.S. military killed an elder in Afghanistan on his way to mediate a land dispute," Flores said Friday. "Then drone pilots carried out a triple tap--targeting first responders...then the next three who came to help."
"It's obvious that the actions of our government are just creating more destruction and anger," Flores said. "We citizens must stop U.S. state sponsored terror through the use of killer drones."
Flores was arrested while photographing eight Catholic drone protesters outside the Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Mattydale, New York, which prosecutors said violated a protection order that barred activists from going near Col. Earl Evans and his workplace. Drone missions are operated out of Hancock.
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.