On Sunday, there were reports of a NATO airstrike in the eastern Paktia province of Afghanistan. The early reports said that a family of eight was killed, as the New York Times reported:
The casualties took place in eastern Paktia province on Saturday night when the family's home was hit by a bomb, said Rohullah Samoon, a spokesman for the governor of Paktia. Six children were killed, four boys and two girls, as well as their mother and father, whose name was Safiullah.
But an Associated Press report that appeared in the Washington Post (5/28/12) looked very different, thanks mostly to anonymous officials who aren't waiting for any investigation to get out their side of the story:
The U.S.-led coalition on Sunday disputed reports that eight civilians, including children, were killed in a NATO airstrike in a remote part of eastern Afghanistan.
Afghan officials said the airstrike Saturday night killed eight members of a family, but a senior NATO official said there is no evidence of civilian casualties. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information.
The piece moves from there to reporting on NATO coalition deaths–a reminder, one might conclude, of which lives might matter more.
When we return to the story of the dead family, the AP reminds readers, "The killing of civilians by foreign forces has been a major irritant in Afghan President Hamid Karzai's relationship with his international partners." That's one way of putting it. I suspect it's even more of an "irritant" to the families of those who were killed.
The AP also reminds readers that the truth, in such instances, always wins out:
Afghan and coalition officials frequently offer differing accounts of military operations. When local residents report that civilians were killed, the coalition says the victims had been identified as insurgents. Later, if investigations prove that civilians were inadvertently killed, the coalition acknowledges its mistake.
Well, that's a relief.
About Peter Hart
A new way to express an old abomination …
Kill 'em all
We're God, and we don't have to sort 'em out
I am so relieved that AP believes the truth will win out. This brings such metaphysical comfort.
The truth is so much more important than anything else could possibly be, such as the lives of Afghan children and other innocents.
This holds except where the lives of American children and innocents are concerned: American lives are so much more important than any truth. Lies, in this case, then become the most sacred of beliefs. Except, again, when America kills, impoverishes, and imprisons its own American innocents.
American lives are so much more important than any truth. – Glynn
I think you have it backwards, The American Truth is more important than any lives to these people. They will kill you to make sure that you don't speak against their truth, even if it is false.
What was it that "Brother William of Baskerville said 'some people so love their truth, they would die for it, too often times taking other with them, and even instead of them'
No the media thinks our Version of the Truth is worth dying for, as long as it not them.
Sigh. How Orwellian. We bemoan the deaths of children at the hands of that evil despot in Syria while we simultaneously kill children in Afghanistan and accept it as collateral damage. We better hope there isn't a god. If there is we are in it deep.
And they are trying to pass a bill to make it legal for the government to bury us with propaganda. Why bother? The news agencies are already doing it?
Torture, kidnapping ("extra ordinary rendition"), support of despots and dictators (Mubarak, Pinochet, etc) and now killing children and all in our name as Americans. There must be a special place in hell waiting for us all.
And we wonder why the # of Al Qaeda members is growing. These heartless, arrogant actions are putting US civilians and NATO military in danger of retaliation. I don't care if we think our investigations prove there are terrorists out there; it is against US and International Law to kill them without a trial. That was also true of the disgusting slaughter of Bin -Laden.
This reminds me of how reuters reported on their killed photographers… they were too willing to say they may have been insurgents.
Nasty, disgusting, selfish Americans. Nothing new.
Can a good tree bear bad fruit?
The lives of un-persons do not deserve respect and acknowledgment from the view point of imperialists. As far as I am concerned, ALL afghanis are innocent: children, men, women, as well as hard-headed terrorist-minded patriarchal fundamentalist Muslim fighters. They are defending their country against (illegal) occupiers of ten years who have propped up a puppet regime (Karzai) and who do not have their best interest in mind. Wouldn't every patriotic Amercian do the same? Hypocrisy: a treasured American value!
We are all still trying to figure out what NATO ( North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is doing in the Middle East. However, now that the headline "Says NOBODY" is given credit for killing, it all becomes perfectly clear.
As we watch the first Democracy in the world turned into ashes, ( that would be Greece) it is a sad wonder that this, the symbolic first democratic nation of the world has its own People being turned into HELOTS. It does seem that those "banking people" are also ripping off Greek history too.
Certainly we do recall the story of Odysses and Polyphemous ( the one eyed monster) After putting out the creature's one eye, Odysses had said something to the efffect that his own name was akin to No Man or Nobody….so that all of the other giant creatures thought Polyphemous was either drunk or crazy when he called out that NOBODY had harmed him!
NATO , bad bankers and the bad journalists…we are on to your UNclever tricks! We KNOW who NOBODY is, and it's YOU!
"People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or before an election." Otto von Birmarck
I suggest that we not jump on the bandwagon villifying Syria.
Whenever you hear talk of a massacre, you should put your truth meter on.
And also ask yourselves WHO benefits from this.
Overthrow in the ME, Libya/Syria/Lebanon/Iran was on the books since 1991.
Once again we are being snookered
2 months ago 15 French troops were caught and are incarcerated by the Syrians. The French neither acknowledge nor deny anything and so do the British. Tons of arms and all sorts of foreign weaponry is entering the country.
In the meantime Libya which had NO debt and whose banks were state owned now has their banks taken over by the West and this free for all now has them too in debt. Their country which was not fundamentalist now IS, but that hasn't stopped us from going in there and stealing whatever we wish to take because we seem to have the divine right to do so. War is terror. I survived Nazi occupation in Holland and 3 bombings by the allies with a faulty atlas.
One thing I have found is that evil can do whatever they want when they want to have impact, and lie about it before, during and after. But truth must be timely or it is weak and eventually ineffectual.
The US's external empire is so powerful that neither NATO, the UN or any other extra govt body will condemn the USA's depredations in other countries or even in its own. These are bad times indeed. A dark time is creeping for the world and the USA or whatever it is turning into is coming and it isn't finished yet.
I've never seen so many wise posts on any site. We are in the hands of the Cheneys, the Bush's, Wolfowitz, Perle, Kristol, Bolton, Yoo, and other manipulators of the Treasury to their interest. Americans are sosick and emasculated that Viagra is provided for those not interested.
Why would AP believe that NATO's "investigations prove that civilians were inadvertently killed, the coalition acknowledges its mistake." We know that NATO and the U.S. lie about killings in Afghanistan.
Classified military footage released by WikiLeaks showing an attack by US military in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad. This callous attack left 12 dead including two Reuters staff. Two Iraqi children were also seriously injured. The investigation found the killings justified.
77% of death in Afghanistan are due to insurgent attacks.14% due to coalition forces.9% unknown.Total deaths from air attacks up9% from last year at 187.The percentage of innocents of course is low.
Two things strike me about this story.We have heard nothing in the press since the story broke on the 27th.Villagers say 8 died.Nato disputes it.Were is the follow up?Also….though all the stories lead with "US led forces of NATO",the truth is those planes involved in this were not American.And word is -certain countries air forces(not the US)have been involved in these so called mistake bombings ,in the majority of cases where civilian deaths have happened.Why no report on that?It is easy on sights like fair to just dump it all on Americas doorstep.But there are stories within the story here.And the press seems to be flubbing the investigative reporting.
Every time. when we dispute a story like this, we are wrong. Every time. No one bothers to check back when we issue our "apology." It's ancient history by then, and besides, a new "mistake" has been made, and we need to concentrate on disputing that.
Tim why does no one check back?If I were are a reporter, isn't the story in finding the relatives of those who died(father),or were there when it happened ,and doing a complete story?From how their night started, to the horror of what transgressed.Then the funerals. God knows we have heard chapter and verse on OBL's death.Where is the in -depth reporting that would bring these numbers to life?Where are the funerals?So far none reported.NATO still disputing the facts ,and no reporters to say differently.
Last night top terrorist leaders were surrounded and died after a firefight began resulting in an airstrike on the house they were occupying.You can bet there were civilian casualties.The day before two top leaders were killed in a drone strike.Odds are innocents died there as well.This is not a pretty fight
Ah, michael e."
It all becomes clear to me now. : )
An airstrike on the house they were occupying…the HOUSE, of Terrorists????? Oh, it must have been Congress, at least, a lot of, We the Women, think so.
And Congress…those drone kill strikes on suspect houses? This is a political year, so maybe you all need to rethink that "list" issue. : )