And... We Wonder Why They Hate Us... Fuck...

[WillyT]

US investigates Yemenis' charge that drone strike 'turned wedding into a funeral'
By Michael Isikoff, National Investigative Correspondent, NBC News
1/7/14


Yemeni shepherd Ahmed Mohammed Al Shafe'ee, 70, told a human rights activist that his 25-year-old son Aref, shown in photo, the father of seven children, was among those killed in the drone attack. (Nasser Al-Shane / Reprieve)

<snip>

The Obama administration has launched an internal investigation into a Dec. 12 drone strike in Yemen that targeted an al Qaeda militant but which local villagers say ended up hitting a wedding party, killing 12 and injuring 14 others, U.S. officials tell NBC News.

NBC News has obtained exclusive videos and photos taken in the aftermath of the strike. The graphic images show the scorched bodies of young men who villagers say were part of a convoy on their way to the wedding celebration when they were killed in their pickups by two Hellfire missiles fired by a U.S. drone.

The video and photographs were shot by Nasser Al-Sane, a local Yemeni journalist, and given to NBC News by Reprieve, a human rights group critical of U.S. drone policy. NBC News showed the video to White House and Pentagon officials who declined comment. A Yemeni official said the images are consistent with what its government knows about what happened after the attack.

“You cannot imagine how angry people are (about the strike). They turned a wedding into a funeral,” Al-Sane, who lives near the town of Radda, where the drone strike took place, told NBC News.

U.S. officials acknowledge the seriousness of the claims and say the strike is being investigated by administration officials -- one of the few times the U.S. government has confirmed an internal review of a drone strike and the first time since President Barack Obama pledged to tighten rules for the strikes in a major speech in May.

“Given that there are claims of civilian casualties, we are reviewing it,” said one U.S. official, who like the others spoke on condition of anonymity.

<snip>

More: http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/07/22163872-us-investigates-yemenis-charge-that-drone-strike-turned-wedding-into-a-funeral?lite

[NuclearDem]

1. Well, it's their fault for being Arabs in the Middle East.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. They should be honored

Not just anyone qualifies to become Freedom Mist™. There's a very rigorous process that's followed.

For example, do you have blonde hair? Blue eyes? Sorry, not eligible!

[DirkGently]

3. Killing everyone into loving us isn't going well.

[demigoddess]

4. there is a really bad place for

all those republicans who think the answer to everything is war. Unfortunately they are taking the rest of us with them.

[Luminous Animal]

6. Obama is a Republican?!

[Fumesucker]

27. A moderate one according to him

Not one of the crazy Republicans like Issa or Ryan.

[sabrina 1]

14. They never took me with them. I have always stood up against Bush's wars. But Bush isn't running

things anymore. We opposed drones when he WAS running things. Not sure what you mean by 'they are taking the rest of us with them'. They can't take anyone who doesn't want to be with them. We've had five years since Bush left the WH.

There comes a time when facts have to be faced. The current Drone 'War' is no longer a Republican policy, it has been a Dem policy for five, long tragic years now.

[demigoddess]

18. so you think that this recession has nothing

to do with the war and all our men coming back injured, and all the people who are facing homelessness etc are not victims of the republicans and their desire to solve every single problem with war. (Iraq and Afghanistan) In the last several years, I have heard republicans call for war in Syria, Libya, Egypt, Pakistan, Iran and how many others?? Obama did not buy into that insanity full on, thank God. Drone wars etc were started by the republicans and WBush. You can't just stop a war on a dime and pull out no matter what you think.
Second generation military here. Old enough to remember vietnam and the recession afterwards. How about you? Gen Xer or millienial?

[sabrina 1]

21. Are we still engaged in wars? Drone wars, and do we or do we not have tens of thousands of

'contractors' otherwise known as 'mercenaries' still in Iraq?

No, I don't think the recession had anything to do with veterans returning. I KNOW what caused it, how about you? And so far, no one has been held accountable for the corruption that caused it.

What you're saying is that if someone starts something that is so wrong the people finally throw them out of office, escalation of those wrongs, drone wars, eg, is not the fault of those who continue them?? That makes no sense. If I were to fire someone for stealing, then hire someone else to take their place, should I blame the one I fired if the new employee continues the stealing? What sense does that make?

I don't subscribe to silly labels, gen this and that. We are all here right now and we have more access to information than ever before. Those who have made use of that ability regardless of when they were born, generally use it to form their views and so far, a majority including all generations, oppose the Government's massive spying on the American people eg among other things. Information is what influences people the most, not when they were born.

We did not do in Syria what we did in Libya because the British Parliament had finally had enough and voted against it pointing out that we are aiding and abetting extremists there.

[demigoddess]

22. a recession after a war

has little to do with veterans returning. It has to do with all the money the government spends on a war and then has to cut back on other things to make up for it. Likewise it has to do with companies and how the start hoarding their assets instead of investing.

[sabrina 1]

25. Okay, that makes sense. The two biggest contributors to the Deficit eg, were those wars and the

Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. There were other factors also, but you are correct regarding the cost of war. It seems I misunderstood the point you were making in your other comment, sorry about that.

[Th1onein]

26. Absolutely, Sabrina 1!

[flvegan]

5. Sadly, nothing will ever come of this.

Seriously, a "super-power" like the US can't control our trigger finger?

Thank God we're reviewing it. Then we can pass it off as worthless fodder, regardless. Then spool up the next round of "evil doers" that needs killing. In our opinion. That opinion being horseshit...maybe.

Thank God for Change.

[Luminous Animal]

7. Goats for everyone!

There is a remarkable picture in Scahill's book "Dirty Wars" of a U.S general offering goats as an atonement for killing innocents.

The villagers did not look pleased.

[zeemike]

12. Yep they are always investigating and reviewing policies.

And nothing ever changes...it is just a dodge to put it off until the next big story wipes if from the Americans short memory.

[Maedhros]

8. Apparently, the argument in favor of this goes thusly:

Our economy, and those of our allies, depends upon "stability" in places like Yemen. Were we to allow AQAP to pursue their goal (which originally was the ouster of the brutal dictaotor Saleh) unhindered, then there would be "instability." "Instability" in Yemen would erode the economy, therefore the U.S. must work to eradicate AQAP - even to the point of pushing them to add "destroy America" to their list of goals.

[DeSwiss]

9. The ''us'' that they hate......

...are the ones who are responsible for these murders. It is reprehensible and cowardly. And it has the collateral benefit of fomenting more anger and hate each time it is done.

- Thus insuring a continuing need to ''protect'' us from the terrorists -- and a further expansion of the Police State we've allowed to be created in our name.

K&R

[Scootaloo]

11. We elect them. we campaign for them. we fund hem. We praise them on the internet

Sorry, just by being a member of the system that produces the asshats responsible, you are responsible.

Democracy carries responsibility as well as privilege, after all.

[sabrina 1]

15. I don't praise them and will definitely not be supporting anyone (Hillary eg) who ever supported

and/or contributed to these horrific crimes against humanity. Never have never will. The responsibiity of all of us is to NOT support these crimes. I'm not sure who you are referring to but some of us have actually remained consistent regarding these crimes and did not change our positions on them when the letter after the president changed from 'R' to 'D'. I know we have been told that remaining true to our principles means we are risking banishment from a blog. But frankly that is almost laughable considering the life and death issues we are talking about.

Will you vote for someone who has supported all of this?

[DeSwiss]

16. Agreed, however.....

Elect them? -- Diebold does too.

Campaign for them? -- 0.0001% of the population, a few more actually vote for them.

Fund them? -- Wall Street pays more.

Praise them on the Internet? -- I got kicked out of the BOG because I wouldn't.

- When you're living in a democracy, yeah it belongs to all of us. Faux democracies don't count though......

[Hassin Bin Sober]

10. I thought we paid those people off already? They got AK47s out of the deal.

(What could possibly go wrong?)

Just no pleasin' some people. Sheesh.

[countryjake]

13. I'm surprised they even acknowledged it, let alone review it.

A mural in Sana’a, painted by Yemeni artist, Murad Subay

[ronnie624]

17. "You cannot imagine how angry people are."

Probably angry enough that they would like to attack Americans, in any way possible, and justifiably so.

[seveneyes]

19. "local villagers say"

I could not find where it mentioned if the "local villagers" were the ones working with the terrorists or against them.

[Fumesucker]

28. If they run away they are terrorists

If they stand their ground they are well trained terrorists.

See? It's all so simple when you know the rules.

[closeupready]

20. K&R. This makes me so angry.

[Zorra]

23. All that money we waste blowing up weddings in the ME could be used to

provide free healthcare for US citizens.

It's a win win for both the Arabs and the people in the US.

[n2doc]

24. And we just added another reason

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024313384