Angry Afghans threaten US troops after Special Forces raids kill civilians

[JohnyCanuck]

By JASON STRAZIUSO
Associated Press Writer

MEHTERLAM, Afghanistan -- An angry Afghan man with a thick black beard ranted wildly at the U.S. officials, shouting about how their overnight raid had killed 16 civilians in his village. An Afghan elder cried out in grief that his son and four grandsons were among the dead.

One after another, a long line of government officials, villagers and community leaders told American military officials at the Laghman governor's compound that Afghan soldiers must be allowed to take part in such raids. Several predicted increased violence against U.S. forces if more nighttime operations take place.

Three recent U.S. Special Forces operations killed 50 people - the vast majority civilians, Afghan officials say - raising the ire of villagers and President Hamid Karzai, who set a one-month deadline for his demand that Afghan soldiers play a bigger role in military operations.

"If these operations are again conducted in our area, all of our people are ready to carry out jihad. We cannot tolerate seeing the dead bodies of our children and women anymore," Malik Malekazratullah, the Afghan who ranted at the Americans, told The Associated Press. "I've already told President Karzai we are out of patience."

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/881796.html

[bigtree]

1. tell it

I hope they're really listening

[noamnety]

2. Oh man.

"We know these raids have left many widows and orphans, and we want your advice on how we should help them," Fuhr told the group Wednesday. One day earlier, U.S. officials paid Afghan villagers in neighboring Kapisa province $40,000 for the deaths of 15 Afghans there."

I don't even know how to respond to that level of cluelessness.

[pleah]

3. K&R US to Afghanistan, just collateral damage.

How many more have to die in these stupid wars?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Is this a a primer on how to ensure we will always have people

who need to be exterminated for one reason or another? Imagine if Russia were in there doing what we are doing now. What would we be doing? Imagine it.

[JohnyCanuck]

5. What would we be doing if Russia was in there?

We'd be funding the "freedom fighters" and supplying them with arms and propaganda support as our media extolled their courage and hardiness and explained that their only desire was to be free from foreign, imperialist invaders. Been there; done that.

[bvar22]

6. Obama & The Democrats....

...are perilously close to OWNING these War Crimes.

These atrocities should be stopped IMMEDIATELY.
All US Forces should be withdrawn to protected bases TODAY,
and then GTFO of this unwinable occupation ASAP.

Until our government can provide a specific military objective, AND a specific exit strategy, I cannot support ANY military presence in Afghanistan !

Did we learn NOTHING from Vietnam and Iraq? :shrug:

Have we learned NOTHING from the history of this region?:shrug: