Gathering Firewood, 9 Afghan Boys Killed by NATO Helicopters

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: New York Times

By ALISSA J. RUBIN and SANGAR RAHIMI
Published: March 2, 2011

KABUL, Afghanistan — Nine boys collecting firewood to heat their homes in the eastern Afghanistan mountains were killed by NATO helicopter gunners who mistook them for insurgents, according to a statement on Wednesday by NATO, which apologized for the mistake.

The boys, who were 9 to 15 years old, were attacked on Tuesday in what amounted to one of the war’s worst cases of mistaken killings by foreign-led forces. The victims included two sets of brothers. A 10th boy survived.

The NATO statement, which included an unusual personal apology by the commander of the NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. David H. Petraeus, said the boys had been misidentified as the attackers of a NATO base earlier in the day. News of the attack enraged Afghans and led to an anti-American demonstration on Wednesday in the village of Nanglam, where the boys where from. The only survivor, Hemad, 11, said his mother had told him to go out with other boys to collect firewood because “the weather is very cold now.”

“We were almost done collecting the wood when suddenly we saw the helicopters come,” said Hemad, who, like many Afghans, has only one name. “There were two of them. The helicopters hovered over us, scanned us and we saw a green flash from the helicopters. Then they flew back high up, and in a second round they hovered over us and started shooting. They fired a rocket which landed on a tree. The tree branches fell over me and shrapnel hit my right hand and my side.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/world/asia/03afghan.html

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This is hard to take. I get no pleasure from posting this.

[sasha031]

1. this is why... you could only imagine if Nato tried to help th poor Libyans.

so sad...

[bertman]

7. Using NATO troops against the Libyan armed forces of Ghadafi is NOT

the same as fighting against guerillas in a situation like we are involved with in Afghanistan. We're talking about NATO troops fighting against conventional troops with tanks and jet fighters.

At least in Libya we know the people are trying to overthrow a dictator.



Of course, you are right that this is so sad. Tragic and sad.

[Dokkie]

8. its probably going to have a worse outcome in Lybia

I can imagine the NATO military massacring hundred of Gaddafi civilian supporters, defected/surrendered/retreating soldiers and a couple dozen rebel fighters. The US and NATO should just stay the hell out for the sake of the suffering Lybians

[bemildred]

2. Sigh. nt

[Alameda]

3. OMG....this is horrible...I have NO words.

I hope and pray we DO NOT help the Libyans...or the people of Yemen or any other place until we learn how to really help.

[postulater]

4. This doesn't have to happen if we don't send helicopters there.

OUT NOW!

[thereismore]

5. Fuck fuck fuck this war. Nobody is better off! nt

[Xithras]

6. War crimes.

Try and imprison ALL of the soldiers on those helicopters FOR LIFE. I can't see any possible defense that would justify this shooting. Either these soldiers didn't bother to verify their targets (which means they're just shooting people randomly), or they were out for "revenge" because of the earlier attack and just opened fire on the first group of people they saw. Either way, it's a clear violation of BOTH international law AND the UCMJ. There's no way they actually looked at a group of kids as young as NINE, did a proper target assessment, and seriously concluded that they were armed Taliban soldiers. That claim simply defies belief.

[Nihil]

14. Kick for a response that says exactly what I was thinking. (n/t)

:grr:

[Catherina]

9. I get no pleasure rec'ng this. War crimes. Stop them now! Stop these wars

and reform the US to be part of the civilized world.

[PufPuf23]

10. There is zero excuse for this except murderous sloppy killing.

The target was not verified and was slaughtered and the target was boys collecting firewood.

No RGP's? No gun fire? Two heavily armed helicopters could has eased themselves in to a 100 foot hover to verify using a tandem tactic and the fact that boys and no arms/aggressive at a much farther distance. No doubt what they would have seen was a group of terrorized boys.

This may be unpopular, but I hold heavily-armed volunteer military responsible for murder. Sloppy killing and disgusting.

[louslobbs]

11. And people wonder why

this country is so despised around the world.
Lou

[Enrique]

12. "the disastrous, despicable war in Afghanistan"

Lynn Woolsey the other day in Congress:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x559357

[Blue_Tires]

13. freedom on the march!

[Rex]

15. I'm sure some MIC apologist will come along and make up lies

ie...they had a gun or shiny object that could have been a weapon OR they probably WERE enemy combatants and try some weak shit to make the lie stick. I've seen it here before.