September, 18 2012, 04:11pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
Beyond the "Muslim Rage" Hype
WASHINGTON
KATHY KELLY [email]
Kelly is co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence and travels regularly to Afghanistan. She said today: "On September 16th, 2012, at about 2:00 a.m., U.S./NATO forces called in an airstrike which killed eight Afghan women who were on a mountainside collecting wood for fuel. Villagers in the Alingar district of the Laghman province said the women routinely rise early in the morning to collect firewood so that they can prepare breakfast for their families. In spite of the constant drone surveillance which purportedly supplies the U.S. military with intelligence about patterns of life in Afghanistan, the U.S. military seemed unaware that women typically scour the mountainsides looking for firewood.
"Scant attention is paid to the plight of the families whose mothers have been slain by U.S./NATO military forces which claim state-of-the-art drone surveillance capacity. And yet, U.S. officials have repeatedly claimed that the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan is necessary to protect women and children.
"A BBC video shows that other women and girls who survived the attack are now hospitalized because of their severe injuries. By now, news coverage of families in the Alingar district is likely over. However, the effects of this attack will forever alter the lives of the injured survivors, their families and the families and friends of those who were killed." RT reports: "Villagers brought the victims' bodies to the local governor's office on Sunday in the wake of the attack, amid cries of 'Death to America!'" said Sarhadi Zewak.
JOHNNY BARBER, [in Kabul, 8.5 hours ahead of U.S. ET] [email]
Currently in Afghanistan, Barber is working with the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers. See their "Two Million Friends" project.
YOUSEF MUNAYYER [email]
Executive director of the Palestine Center, see Munayyer's comments to Politico in "Tina Brown's 'Muslim Rage' Cover."
Currently on his Twitter feed Munayyer is putting out information on the 30th Anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre. He also writes: "Pretend to care about peace, kick the can down the road, never pressure Israel. Romney just described what is already U.S. policy on Palestine," referring to Romney's recently-disclosed comments including "I look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway."
DEEPA KUMAR [email] , via Jim Plank [email]
Kumar is author of Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire and just wrote the piece "Libya Attacks: Let's Not Allow the Far Right to Set the Agenda."
W. RANDY SHORT [email]
Short is an independent researcher who holds a doctorate in African studies from Howard University and a masters of divinity from Harvard University. He was featured on an IPA news release last year questioning who the rebels in Libya were. He cited U.S. government documents released via WikiLeaks assessing the situation in eastern Libya -- the memo he cited was written by the recently killed Amb. Chris Stevens.
A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.
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A fragment of the munition found at the site of the attack was analyzed by an Amnesty International weapons expert and based upon its size, shape, and the scalloped edges of the heavy metal casing, identified as most likely a MK-80 series aerial bomb, which would mean it was at least a 500-pound bomb. The United States is the primary supplier of these types of munitions to Israel.
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