Pakistan's errant airstrike reportedly kills 71 civilians

[laststeamtrain]

Pakistan's errant airstrike reportedly kills 71 civilians
By Saeed Shah, McClatchy Newspapers 1 hr 47 mins ago

ISLAMABAD — A misdirected airstrike killed at least 71 innocent villagers in Pakistan's tribal zone Saturday as the army pressed its offensive against Taliban and al Qaida fighters, local residents said Tuesday.

The airstrike occurred in a remote part of the Khyber "agency," part of the tribal belt that borders Afghanistan , as thousands more civilians poured out of the area to escape the military offensive. The United Nations said this week that Pakistan's anti- Taliban offensives had created more than 200,000 refugees, this time mostly from the Orakzai agency, which is next to Khyber.

The Pakistani military refused to acknowledge the accidental deaths but the local government administration told tribesmen that it would pay $118,000 compensation. Military officials said they'd targeted bunkers that extremists were constructing in the Tirah valley and were unsure how a house could have been hit.

The episode may be a significant setback to the campaign to win the hearts and minds of the tribal area's population. The house that was struck belonged to a tribal elder from the Kukikhel — a clan that's loyal to the Pakistani government — whose three sons serve in the Pakistani military forces.

The issue of civilian casualties in Pakistan mirrors that of Afghanistan , where U.S.-led forces on many occasions have targeted civilians unintentionally because of poor intelligence and the difficulty of distinguishing friend from enemy. ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20100413/wl_mcclatchy/3476296

[ConcernedCanuk]

1. U.S.-led forces on many occasions have targeted civilians unintentionally because of poor intelligen

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U.S.-led forces on many occasions have targeted civilians unintentionally because of poor intelligence

like invading Iraq sorta thing?

If the USA wasn't the "superpower"

USA would be bombed into oblivion

and I am not at all in agreement with our involvement in the Afghanistan invasion/occupation whatever they want to call it.

If/when the Iraqis/Afghans/Muslims take revenge on Canada

all I can say is

we asked for it.

North America has enough problems of its own without aggravating issues in another country.

George Carlin said it

"We just can't stop fucking with other people"!!

and we can't

(sigh)

[Echo In Light]

3. +1

[malaise]

2. Few people on this planet give a flying fugg

about these poor innocent people. :cry: