US Dismisses Reports on Afghan Deaths

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

US Dismisses Reports on Afghan Deaths

By PAULINE JELINEK
Tuesday, June 26, 2007; 12:56 PM

WASHINGTON -- Despite rising civilian deaths in Afghanistan's
counter-terror war _ and rising criticism _ a U.S. general
suggested Tuesday that coalition commanders do not need to
change the way they operate.

"We think the procedures that we have in place are good,"
Brig. Gen. Joseph Votel told a Pentagon press conference.
"They work, they help us minimize the effects" on civilians,
he said.

-snip-

Speaking by videoconference from Bagram, Votel said the
assertion that coalition forces are killing more civilians
is "absolutely not true," and that those deaths caused by
insurgent forces are "significantly greater."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly pleaded with
foreign troops to exercise caution and work more closely
with Afghan forces, who might be able to minimize civilian
casualties because of their knowledge of the terrain. On
Saturday, he denounced the Taliban for killing civilians
but directed most of his anger at foreign forces for being
careless and viewing Afghan lives as "cheap."

-snip-

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/26/AR2007062600960.html

[KansDem]

1. I believe it was last Wednesday or Thursday when Afghan killings were reported

I listened to the BBC between 3-5am (central) and heard the report about children killed when US troops attacked a compound. The US military officer interviewed stated that al Qaeda was using the children as hostages--human shields--and that the kids were being beaten whenever they tried to go outside. The US military didn't know they were there. Then, on NPR at the 5am hour, the same report was broadcast minus the US officer's report that al Qaeda was using children as human shields. Apparently the DOD changed its story. Why? The only reason I can come up with is the contradiction in the first report: That al Qaeda was using children as human shields but that they were hiding them too. Wha...??? Even I saw through this lie. How can al Qaeda be using children as human shields and hide them at the same time so no one knew they were there?

Anyway, it was apparent the US military was lying to the world until they realized that no one was going to believe them. Then their story changed...

[saigon68]

2. Gen. Joseph Votel "A True War Criminal"

This guy is a real killing machine

Jun 96 Jun 98 Commander, 2d Battalion, 22d Infantry, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York
Jun 98 Jun 00 Commander, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia
Jul 00 Jun 01 Student, United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania
Oct 01 Aug 03 Commander, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia and OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan, and OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, Iraq

Kind of a

"Kill Em all, Let god sort em out" type