NATO seeks ways to cut Afghan civilian toll

[maddezmom]

Source: Reuters

By Rodney Joyce

KABUL, May 3 (Reuters) - NATO forces in Afghanistan vowed on Thursday to improve coordination with Afghan authorities to avoid civilian casualties, after a warning from President Hamid Karzai that his people were losing patience over continuing bloodshed.

The push to ease the toll on civilians came as a roadside bomb blasted an Afghan army bus in Kabul, killing the driver and wounding 29, hours after gunmen shot dead an ex-premier.

Nearly 60 civilians have been killed in raids by U.S.-led coalition troops in the past week, Afghan officials say, sparking four days of anti-American, anti-Karzai protests.

"There's absolutely room for additional coordination," Lieutenant Colonel Maria Carl, a spokeswoman for NATO's ISAF security force, told reporters asking about civilian deaths and Afghan concerns they were not involved in planning Western military operations.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL198351.htm

[Solly Mack]

1. Leave?

[Briar]

2. Well, how about

putting preserving civilian life first, before pursuing "the enemy" without mercy and with extreme aggression. Not bombing villages would be a good start. Currently the US especially assumes that the fighters will hide amongst the villagers (since they *are* villagers, they probably do) and just bomb away, washing their hands of the slaughter. Oops. We killed a fighter and his wife and children. Their fault for being in the way then. Nothing to do with us, ragheads.

[Billy Burnett]

3. It's easy. Stop counting.

Just like they did in Iraq.