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Allies Restrict Airstrikes on Taliban in Civilian Homes
Worse even than the Cambodian sanctuaries we granted to the North Vietnamese - the Taliban now can take safe shelter pretty much anywhere in Afghanistan. Get our people out now.The senior allied commander in Afghanistan has ordered new restrictions on airstrikes against Taliban fighters who hide in residential homes, coalition officials said Sunday, a move in response to a NATO attack in the eastern part of the country last week that Afghan officials say killed 18 civilians. The joint Afghan-NATO raid last week was hunting a Taliban commander and some of his fighters who had holed up in a home in Logar Province where a wedding had taken place, according to local residents. An early-morning firefight broke out between the coalition troops and the insurgents, with the civilians trapped inside. The coalition decided to call in an airstrike, which killed the insurgents but also 18 civilians, including 9 children, Afghan officials said. In other words, we got the guys we were hunting, but also hit their invisible human shields, so now we can't go hunting anymore. Get out people out now. After a meeting on Saturday between Mr. Karzai, General Allen and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker of the United States to discuss the issue, aides to Mr. Karzai released a statement saying that General Allen had pledged to halt attacks altogether on residential areas and homes. Posted by: Glenmore 2012-06-11 |
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