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Senator Barbara Boxer: End Afghanistan War

February 23, 2012

I recently wrote California Senator Barbara Boxer to give her my opinion that the Afghanistan war should be ended immediately. Boxer — or more likely, someone on her staff — sent a reply. Senator Boxer advocates a rapid draw-down of US military forces in Afghanistan. While it isn’t exactly a call for an immediate end to the war, her position is closer to that than I had expected.

The letter:

Dear __________:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the withdrawal of United States combat forces from Afghanistan. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

I strongly believe that it is time to significantly decrease the presence of US combat forces in Afghanistan. That is why I proudly co-sponsored an amendment to the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act requiring President Obama to accelerate the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and report to Congress on the progress of his plan. I was pleased that language based on this amendment was included in the final bill.

I believe that the United States has accomplished much of what it set out to achieve in Afghanistan and that the current cost — both to our armed forces and to the American taxpayer — is far too high. Ten years ago, the US Senate unanimously voted to use all necessary and appropriate force against those responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001 — the al Qaeda terrorist network. On May 2, 2011, the United States dealt al Qaeda a major blow by killing its leader, Osama bin Laden.

Although we must remain vigilant in our efforts to defeat al Qaeda and continue our support for the Afghan people, there is simply no justification for the continued deployment of roughly 90,000 US troops in Afghanistan. Our current forces should be drawn down to a point where they are sufficient only to conduct targeted counter-terrorism operations, train Afghan security forces, and protect American and coalition personnel.

As a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, be assured that I will continue to advocate for a plan to accelerate the withdrawal of US combat forces from Afghanistan while protecting US national security.

Again, thank you for writing to me. Please feel free to contact me in the future about this or any other issue of concern to you.

Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
US Senator

Eight Afghan Teenagers Killed in NATO Airstrike

February 16, 2012

By now, the story is sadly familiar: NATO forces in Afghanistan launch an airstrike against people on the ground thought to be enemy combatants, only to discover after the airstrike that the Afghans, now dead, were mainly or all civilians.

Last week, it happened again: eight Afghan teenagers were killed by a US airstrike. Below are exceprts from an Associated Press report.

Each time such “accidents” occur, the US-led NATO command apologizes, saying that they “do not target civilians”. In fact, they do target civilians because their rules of engagement are not stringent enough to require them to obtain positive identification of targets before shooting at them.

What would happen if police snipers perched on rooftops in a US city shot down into a street filled with people and killed several bystanders while aiming at a criminal? They would be charged with neglect and/or malfeasance. What would happen if a homeowner shot at a mountain lion in his back yard but missed and killed a child playing in the next yard? He would be charged with manslaughter and criminal neglect.

If you set up a situation in which accidents are likely, then when they occur you cannot call them “accidents”. They are predictable incidents, resulting from criminal dereliction of duty or malfeasance. Afghan President Karzai’s anger over these repeated incidents is entirely justified.

NATO regrets air strike killed 8 Afghan civilians

Associated Press, Thursday, February 16, 2012

KABUL — The US-led military coalition said Wednesday that it regrets the killing of eight civilians in a NATO air strike this month in eastern Afghanistan.

Civilian casualties have long been a source of friction between the US-led international force and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who condemned the bombing and sent a delegation to the scene to investigate.

The coalition called in the air strike Feb. 8 in Kapisa province, after movements by eight people on the ground were assessed as a threat to Afghan police and NATO forces in the area, said Army Brig. Gen. Lewis Boone, director of public affairs for the coalition.

…

Boone told reporters in Kabul: “Despite all tactical directives being followed precisely, we now know the unfortunate result of this engagement. In the end, eight young Afghans lost their lives in this very sad event.”

…

Local officials said seven victims were boys between the ages of 6 and 14 and one was a mentally ill young man around 18 to 20 years old.

U.S. Gen. John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has met with the provincial governor to express his condolences.

[Read entire story]

Drone Strikes are Error-Prone

January 21, 2012

It should be is obvious that launching airstikes from drone aircraft controlled from thousands of miles away by operators viewing and assessing ground “targets” from high altitude though video links is a bad idea. Based on grainy video that lags a bit behind the actual action on the ground, operators decide remotely who to blow to bits. Clearly, this will be highly prone to accidents.

Predator drone firing missile

Common sense should have stopped the US military from using drones for combat rather than just for reconnaissance. Unfortunately, it didn’t.

So now we are faced with an ever-growing list of incidents in which erroneous drone strikes killed and maimed innocents. Past Peace Pundit posts have documented previous incidents (see list below). Sadly, a new incident must now be added to the list (excerpted):

US Deaths in Drone Strike Due to Miscommunication, Report Says

By David Zucchino and David S. Cloud, Los Angeles Times, Oct 14, 2011

Washington — A Marine and a Navy medic killed by a US drone airstrike were targeted when Marine commanders in Afghanistan mistook them for Taliban fighters, even though analysts watching the Predator’s video feed were uncertain whether the men were part of an enemy force.

…

The 381-page report, which has not been released, concludes that the Marine officers on the scene and the Air Force crew controlling the drone from half a world away were unaware that analysts watching the firefight unfold via live video at a third location had doubts about the targets’ identity.

The incident closely resembles another deadly mistake involving a Predator in early 2009. In that attack, at least 15 Afghan civilians were killed after a Predator crew mistook them for a group of Taliban…

In that case, analysts located at Air Force Special Operations Command in Florida who were watching live battlefield video from the aircraft’s high-altitude cameras also had doubts about the target. Their warnings that children were present were disregarded by the drone operator and by an Army captain, who authorized the airstrike.

…

[Read entire story]

[Read extra story detailing errors that led to the incident.]

Blackwater Brand Resurfaces in a Video Game

September 9, 2011

For years, PeacePundit has been following the controversy surrounding the contract security firm Blackwater Worldwide — including accusations that Blackwater guards killed 17 unarmed civilians in an unprovoked attack in Iraq and that the firm engaged in illegal weapons smuggling during the Bush Administration. Two years ago, Blackwater Worldwide changed its name to Xe Services to try to shed its tainted brand.

Now, Blackwater’s founder, Erik Prince, who no longer heads the security company, is trying to revive the brand. Below are excerpts from a recent news story.

Blackwater Video Game Triggers Rage

By Guy Adams, The Independent UK, 08 September 2011

You’ve heard about the scandals; now re-live them from the comfort of your sofa. That’s the … idea behind “Blackwater”, a new video game named after the shadowy US security company accused of some of the worst rights violations of the Iraq war.

… a software developer called 505 Games will shortly launch the “first-person shoot-em-up” in which players adopt the persona of mercenaries protecting UN officials in what reviewers have called “a hostile north-African territory.”

It was produced under licence from Erik Prince, the Blackwater founder and former Navy Seal who stepped down from day-to-day management of the firm two years ago, having gained more than $1 billion in contracts from the Bush administration.

“[Players] are going to be shooting, moving and communicating through very difficult, unknown, uncertain situations,” Prince told USA Today … The game’s release marks the first effort by Mr Prince to leverage the Blackwater name. …

…

Jan Schakowsky, a Democratic Congresswoman and prominent critic of Blackwater, told The Independent that the game was “appalling.”

“Blackwater is a company of mercenaries who have operated in a way that compromises the safety, reputation, and lives of Americans and Iraqis, and whose employees have been guilty of killings… The notion of playing a game in which they are the hero is wrong on almost every level.”

If Mr Prince had not emigrated to the United Arab Emirates, which does not have an extradition agreement with the US, he too would now be facing prosecution, the Congresswoman said. “His company has caused the death of innocent people without any accountability. It is inconceivable and appalling that a video game should celebrate his tough-guy image.”

…

[Read Entire Story]

A good video game: Darfur is Dying

Nonviolent Peaceforce Promotes Peace in Southern Sudan

July 26, 2011

Southern Sudan split off from Sudan officially on July 9, after a peaceful referendum showed overwhelming support in the south for a split. The hope was that this would bring peace to that land, which has seen civil war, genocide, and famine for decades. Alas, the split has not yet yielded complete peace between the north and the south. Adding to the conflict, rival factions in Southern Sudan have been fighting for control.

One organization working in Southern Sudan to help keep the peace is Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP). As was described in an earlier Peace Pundit post, NP uses trained international monitors, mediators, and unarmed peacekeepers in conflict zones around the world to decrease tensions and protect civilians. Southern Sudan is one of the areas where NP has worked.

A recent briefing by NP, posted just before the official split, provides interesting background about the situation in Southern Sudan (excerpted):

Challenges Ahead For The World’s Newest Nation – Southern Sudan

June 30, 2011

On July 9, 2011, Sudan will officially divide into two separate countries. Southern Sudan will formally declare independence as a result of the overwhelmingly pro-separation vote in January’s referendum. The largely peaceful referendum was the capstone event of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005, which brought an end to over 20 years of civil war between the north and the south.

… After the years of violent conflict and struggle, expectations for peace and prosperity in the new era of independence are very high.

The reality, however, is that … there are many factors at play that could lead to escalations of violent conflict. … Key ssues remain outstanding, including agreements between the north and the south on the division of Sudan’s substantial oil reserves and the demarcation of the north-south border.

In recent weeks, tens of thousands of people have been displaced and hundreds killed due to fighting between northern and southern forces in the … border regions… Further, large-scale displacement, destruction of property and civilian deaths have been destabilizing the south since the referendum, …

… The majority of about eight million citizens live a simple rural existence without telephone service, paved roads, sufficient health or education facilities or adequate water and sanitation services.

The population also falls into multiple ethnic groups, each with their own language, and resource conflicts in particular about the use of land are growing in number and intensity …

While remarkable progress has been made, the escalating violence is a reality that cannot be ignored. The need for the international community to support the state-duty bearers in their efforts to reduce violence and protect civilians is an imperative of the utmost urgency. … If Southern Sudan is not sufficiently supported it could buckle under the weight of the innumerable challenges of building a nation. …

[Read Entire Article]

Further information about Nonviolent Peaceforce:

NATO-Afghan Relations Sour Over Airstrikes

June 3, 2011

NATO airstrikes and nightime ground raids that killed Afghan civilians are sparking a backlash against NATO and US military forces, even though UN tallies show that most civilian deaths there are caused by those fighting NATO and the Karzai government. Afghan President Hamid Karzai even threatened to retaliate against NATO.

Three recent news reports chronicle this trend. Excerpts below:

Afghan Protest of NATO Raid Leaves 12 Dead

Ray Rivera, Sangar Rahimi, NY Times, May 19, 2011

Kabul, Afghanistan — A normally peaceful northern Afghan city erupted in violence Wednesday as thousands of protesters clashed with security forces after a NATO night raid that local officials claim killed four civilians. NATO defended the night operation and said the four people who were killed, two of them women, were armed insurgents …

At least a dozen people were killed as protesters armed with Kalashnikov rifles, axes, grenades and gasoline bombs battled with the police on the streets of Taloqan … in the northeast, then assaulted a small NATO base on the city’s outskirts…

…

Two German soldiers and three Afghan guards were also wounded in the attack, said Abdul Jabar Taqwa, the provincial governor. … Taqwa condemned the NATO raid that precipitated the riot but also blamed Taliban agents for stirring up the crowd of 3,000 to 4,000 people during what was intended to be a peaceful demonstration.

…

Night raids have been a source of tension between NATO and Afghan officials, including Karzai, who has said they frequently lead to civilian casualties and deepened popular distrust of the government and NATO forces.

…

[Read entire story]

NATO Denies Airstrike Killed Only Civilians

Ray Rivera, NY Times, May 30, 2011

Kabul — Afghan officials said Sunday that a NATO air strike killed 14 civilians, all of them women and children, in the southern province of Helmand. …

But … a … NATO official said … that nine civilians were killed in the strike, which was aimed at five insurgents who attacked a coalition foot patrol and killed a Marine. The insurgents continued to fire from inside a compound when NATO forces called in the strike.

“Unfortunately, the compound the insurgents purposefully occupied was later discovered to house innocent civilians,” the official, Maj. Gen. John Toolan, commander of NATO forces in the Southwest region, said in a statement. The general apologized for the civilian deaths on behalf of all coalition forces, … and said an investigation into the episode was continuing.

…

President Hamid Karzai … called the deaths in Helmand “shocking.”

…

[Read entire story]

Karzai Threatens NATO over Attacks on Civilians

Joshua Partlow,Javed Hamdard, Washington Post, June 1, 2011

Kabul — President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday issued an ultimatum to NATO forces to stop air strikes on Afghan homes and warned that if they don’t, the Afghan people would drive them out as they have occupying armies in the past. …

The immediate provocation was a coalition air strike on Saturday in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province that killed nine civilians, including children. …

“From this moment, air strikes on the houses of people are not allowed,” Karzai said at a news conference at the presidential palace.

“Afghanistan is an ally, not an occupied country. And our treatment with NATO is from the point of view of an ally. If it turns to … an occupation, then of course the Afghan people know how to deal with that,” he said. Karzai added that “history is a witness how Afghanistan deals with occupiers,” and declared that if NATO air strikes continue, Afghanistan will take “unilateral action.” …

Karzai has regularly called for an end to civilian casualties, night raids by U.S. Special Operations forces, and all unilateral NATO operations in Afghanistan. But he has rarely spoken so directly about NATO forces being a potential enemy of the Afghan people.

…

Estimates from both NATO and other organizations, such as the United Nations, attribute the majority of civilian casualties to the insurgents rather than NATO forces.

…

[Read entire story]

US Drone Strikes in Pakistan Incite Resistance There and Here

April 24, 2011

As the US continues and intensifies its use of unmanned Predator drone aircraft (flown remotely by operators in the US) to strike at targets in Pakistan, resistance is increasing both in Pakistan and in the US.

Predator drone firing missile

On March 17, a US missile strike fired from a drone killed more than 40 people in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region. Pakistani officials claim that the dead were civilian tribal elders meeting to resolve a mining rights dispute, but the US military claims that those killed were Taliban militants.

The Pakistani government has protested the drone-strikes as a violation of their sovereignty.

Recently, two high-level meetings between US military and Pakistani intelligence officials — one in Washington DC between the US CIA Chief and the Pakistani ISI Chief and one in Pakistan between US Admiral Mike Mullen (Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff) and General Khalid Shameem Wynne (Pakistani military chief) — took place to discuss the issue.

Two days after the CIA/ISI meeting, while the Mullen/Wynne meetings were taking place, another US drone strike killed 25 or more people in North Waziristan. According to officials, those killed included 18 suspected militants, three women, and four children.

Both drone strikes sparked protests by Pakistani citizens as well as official protests from Pakistani government officials. The protests by Pakistani citizens included a mass demonstration that shut down critical NATO military supply shipments from Pakistan into Afghanistan.

Some Pakistani intelligence officials, in frustration over US drone strikes, disclosed that the US has personnel in Pakistan to refuel and relaunch the drones but may now be shutting down that operation. US officials deny the existence of military or CIA personnel in Pakistan but otherwise refuses to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, in the US, protesters blockaded Hancock Air Base in upstate New York to protest the US military’s use of drones, resulting in 37 arrests.

Other Drone-Related News and Analysis

Democracy Now: Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century
Washington Post: Are drones a technological tipping point in warfare?
London Telegraph: One in three killed by US drones in Pakistan is a civilian, report claims

Show Your Opposition to the Wars, Sat. March 19, 2011

March 13, 2011

Saturday March 19, 2011 is the eighth anniversary of the US-led war in Iraq and the tenth of the war in Afghanistan. On that day, to express opposition to continuing these horrible wastes of human lives and resources, people in cities around the US will take to the streets and plazas to express opposition to the continuation of these wars.

Officially (excluding CIA personnel and military contractors), 4757 coalition troops have died in Iraq. Another 2363 have died in Afghanistan. [Source: Iraq Coalition Casualty Count] Officially, US involvement in combat operations has ended in Iraq, but actually at least 50,000 US troops remain there and many are still involved in combat operations.

According to a new United Nations report, over 8800 civilians have died in Afghanistan. The number of Afghan civilians killed in the war has increased over the past four years, reaching a new high of 2777 deaths in 2010, a 15 percent increase over 2009.

The number of civilians killed in the Iraq war is disputed. Estimates range from 109,000 to over a million.

The monetary cost? At the time of this posting, it stood at about $1,165,000,000,000 total; $779,088,000,000 for Iraq and $385,908,000,000 for Afghanistan. Check CostOfWar.com to see where the cost stands now.

Sick of it? Show your disagreement with the wars!

Attend one or more of the marches, rallies, interfaith vigils, and many other events being held around the US on Saturday March 19.

If the citizens of Egypt and Tunesia can effect major change in their countries by ignoring their disagreements, focusing on their common goal, and demonstrating in large numbers, so can we.

San Francisco

Interfaith Prayer Circle for Peace and Justice: 10:30 am, Civic Center Plaza (across from SF City Hall) [More Info]

Rally and March to Resist the War Machine: 12 noon, UN Plaza (7th & Market Streets), [More Info]

Los Angeles

Rally and March to Resist the War Machine: 12 noon, Hollywood & Vine, [More Info]

Chicago

Rally Against the Wars: 12 noon, Michigan & Congress, [More Info]

Washington, DC

Verteran-Led Rally and March to White House: 12 noon, Lafayette Park, [More Info]

Other Cities

History Repeats: Nine Afghan Kids Killed by Airstrike

March 6, 2011

History repeats itself.

In December 2003, the Associated Press and the New York Times reported that a U.S. missile strike against a suspected Taliban commander accidentally killed nine Afghan kids who were near the targeted compound. I wrote the US State Department to protest, received a reply from an official, and sent a follow-up letter (see previous post describing that exchange).

Last week, it happened again: nine Afghan kids were killed by a US helicopter strike. Here are exceprts from a NY Times report:

Nine Afghan Boys Collecting Firewood Killed by NATO Helicopters

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

KABUL, Afghanistan — Nine boys collecting firewood … in the eastern Afghanistan mountains were killed by NATO helicopter gunners who mistook them for insurgents, according to … 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. …

“We were almost done collecting the wood when suddenly we saw the helicopters come,” said Hemad … “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.”

The tree, Hemad said, saved his life by covering him so that he could not be seen by the helicopters, which, he said, “shot the boys one after another.”

General Petraeus pledged to investigate the attack and to take disciplinary action if appropriate.

“We are deeply sorry for this tragedy and apologize to the members of the Afghan government, the people of Afghanistan and, most importantly, the surviving family members of those killed by our actions,” he said. “These deaths should have never happened.”

It was the third instance in two weeks in which the Afghan government has accused NATO of killing civilians. NATO strongly disputes one of those reports, but another — the killing of an Afghan Army soldier and his family in Nangarhar Province on Feb. 20 — was also described as an accident.

…

President Hamid Karzai, who was in London for an official visit, condemned the attack “in the strongest terms possible.”

Calling it “ruthless,” he questioned whether the Western goals of combating terrorism and securing Afghanistan could be achieved if civilians continued to die.

More than 200 people gathered in Nanglam on Wednesday to protest the boys’ deaths, witnesses said. Waving white flags, they shouted “Death, death to America!” and “Death to Obama and his colleagues and associates!”

[Read entire story]

PeacePundit Comment: If you set up a situation in which accidents are likely, then when they do occur, you cannot call them “accidents”. They are criminal neglect.

Outstanding Book: War is a Lie

January 29, 2011

David Swanson, former Press Secretary for US presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich and author of Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union, has just published an amazing new book: War is a Lie. The book is so up-to-date that it discusses events that took place in September 2010.

It’s a point-by-point, historically rich, well-researched and well-documented expose’ of the lies that have been used to start and sustain humanity’s wars, including some that are usually considered “good wars” (a term that Swanson considers an oxymoron). The books provides the historical context and stated vs. actual motivation for most of our wars, as well as evaluating the results of wars against the goals.

Introduction
Wars Are Not Fought Against Evil
Wars Are Not Launched in Defense
Wars Are Not Waged Out of Generosity
Wars Are Not Unavoidable
Warriors Are Not Heroes
War Makers Do Not Have Noble Motives
Wars Are Not Prolonged for the Good of Soldiers
Wars Are Not Fought on Battlefields
Wars Are Not Won, and Are Not Ended By Enlarging Them
War News Does Not Come From Disinterested Observers
War Does Not Bring Security and Is Not Sustainable
Wars Are Not Legal
Wars Cannot Be Both Planned and Avoided
War Is Over If You Want It

Some interesting excerpts from the book:

“If WWII was a good war, why did 80 percent of the Americans who … made it into combat choose not to fire their weapons at the enemies? … There is good evidence that this was the norm in the ranks of the Germans, British, French, and so forth, and had been the norm in previous wars as well. The problem … was that about 98 percent of people are very resistant to killing other human beings. You can show them how to use a gun and tell them to go shoot it, but in the moment of combat many of them will aim for the sky, drop in the dirt, assist a buty with his weapon, or suddenly discover that an important message needs to be conveyed along the line. … They’re horrified of committing murder.” — Chapter 4

“One need not think about … wars solely in terms of winning or losing. If the US were to elect officials and compel them to heed the public’s wishes and retire from foreign military adventures, we would all be better off. Why … must that desired outcome be called ‘losing’?” — Chapter 9

Bottom Line: War is a Lie should be read by everyone in the peace movement, every political analyst, every student of political science, ever Congressional Representative and Senator, everyone in the Obama administration, every non-US leader… oh, the heck with it! This book should be read by everyone who can read. Seriously.

The author’s website for the book, including opportunities for readers to help get it distributed to elected representatives, peace groups, and anti-military-recruitment youth organizations, is: http://warisalie.org.

Peace Pundit

Archive for the ‘Civilian Casualties’ Category

Senator Barbara Boxer: End Afghanistan War

Related Previous PeacePundit Posts

Eight Afghan Teenagers Killed in NATO Airstrike

NATO regrets air strike killed 8 Afghan civilians

Related Previous PeacePundit Posts

Drone Strikes are Error-Prone

US Deaths in Drone Strike Due to Miscommunication, Report Says

Related Previous PeacePundit Posts

Blackwater Brand Resurfaces in a Video Game

Blackwater Video Game Triggers Rage

A good video game: Darfur is Dying

Related Peace Pundit Posts

Nonviolent Peaceforce Promotes Peace in Southern Sudan

Challenges Ahead For The World’s Newest Nation – Southern Sudan

Further information about Nonviolent Peaceforce:

Related Previous PeacePundit Posts

NATO-Afghan Relations Sour Over Airstrikes

Afghan Protest of NATO Raid Leaves 12 Dead

NATO Denies Airstrike Killed Only Civilians

Karzai Threatens NATO over Attacks on Civilians

Related Previous PeacePundit Posts

US Drone Strikes in Pakistan Incite Resistance There and Here

Other Drone-Related News and Analysis

Related PeacePundit Posts

Show Your Opposition to the Wars, Sat. March 19, 2011

Related Previous Peace Pundit Posts

History Repeats: Nine Afghan Kids Killed by Airstrike

Nine Afghan Boys Collecting Firewood Killed by NATO Helicopters

Related Previous PeacePundit Posts

Outstanding Book: War is a Lie

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