Wikileaks is apparently going to release some footage relating to Granai, so it seems important to know what was being claimed at the time.
Three stories seem important, I'll post them here.
May 20, 2009:
http://www2.whdh.com/news/articles/entertainment/BO113829/">US says only 30 Afghan civilians died in bombingKABUL -- Video evidence recorded by fighter jets and the account of the ground commander suggest no more than 30 civilians were killed in a two-day battle in western Afghanistan this month, the U.S. military said Wednesday, a stark contrast with Afghan claims that 140 civilians died.
The footage shows insurgents streaming into homes that were later bombed, said Col. Greg Julian, the chief U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan. He said ground troops observed some 300 villagers flee in advance of the fighting, indicating that not many could have been inside the bombed compounds.
The figures, which the Americans called preliminary, are far lower than the numbers villagers provided to an Afghan government commission days after the May 4-5 battle in the villages of Gerani and Ganjabad in Farah province.
The Afghan government has paid compensation to families who claimed relatives were killed; the U.S. contends the money could have acted as an incentive for families to inflate the numbers of victims. A list of 140 names provided by villagers includes at least 60 females and more 90 people under age 18.....
...June 3, 2009:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/03/afghanistan-us-airstrikes-errors">US military admits errors in air strikes that killed scores of Afghan civiliansA failure to follow strict rules devised to prevent civilian casualties in Afghanistan led to the death of scores of villagers last month, a US military investigation has concluded.
According to a senior military official who spoke to the New York Times, the report on the 4 May raids found that one plane was cleared to attack Taliban fighters, but then had to circle back and did not reconfirm the target before dropping its payload, leaving open the possibility that the militants had fled or that civilians had entered the target area in the intervening few minutes.
In another case, a compound where militants were massing for a possible counterattack against US and Afghan troops was struck in violation of rules that required a more imminent threat to justify putting homes at risk, the official said.
"In several instances where there was a legitimate threat, the choice of how to deal with that threat did not comply with the standing rules of engagement," the military official told the Times about the report's initial findings. The inquiry is not yet complete.....
...and finally, June 18, 2009:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iHR81hAa4Ww2mp2_gWIG8PAHnvnA">US military debates release of Afghan air strike probeThe release of a Pentagon investigation into deadly US air strikes in Afghanistan has been delayed amid an internal debate about what details of the report should be revealed, US officials said on Thursday.
For days, Defense Department officials have promised to release an unclassified summary of the probe as well as video but have repeatedly postponed the move, saying the report is still being edited by top military officers and civilian officials.
Some military officers had reservations about releasing certain details in the report, saying it could compromise security by giving away too much information about how American forces operate in Afghanistan, defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity told AFP.
The probe, ordered by the head of US Central Command, General David Petraeus, examined bombing raids on May 4 in the western Farah province in which the Kabul government says 140 civilians were killed....
So that's where we are, I believe.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
