Civilian deaths 'deeply shame' USA heartfelt apology, right? I mean, that's all that is needed to convince you, the average reader, that the US government and military really are the caring, compassionate type, right? Let's read on:
May 8 2007
BBC News
An American commander in Afghanistan has said that he is "deeply ashamed" by the killings of 19 Afghan civilians by US Marines in early March.
"I stand before you today, deeply, deeply ashamed and terribly sorry that Americans have killed and wounded innocent Afghan people," US army spokesman Col John Nicholson told reporters in Washington by video conference from Afghanistan.
He said that the military had paid condolence payments to the families in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
Western forces have been accused of carelessness over civilian lives when attacking the Taleban and their allies.Oh! I see, the shame is on the memory of the wonderful US troops who have...em...well, to be honest, they have killed, or caused the deaths of at least 10,000 Afghan civilians since late 2002. Killing a few more then is hardly anything to be ashamed about. But the US government and military really is sincere about their shame. How much? Oh...about 2 grand per dead Afghani.
It has become a major issue, with Nato recently saying that its biggest error last year was killing civilians.
In January, it promised to do better.
US 'erased Afghan footage'
"The deaths and wounding of innocent Afghans at the hands of Americans is a stain on our honour and on the memory of the many Americans who have died defending Afghanistan and the Afghan people.
"We made official apologies on the part of the US government and payments of about $2,000 for each death," he said, after US officials visited some of the families left bereaved by the incident.Am I being cynical? You're damn right I am, and with good reason. Read on:
Air raid 'kills Afghan civilians'In the psychopathic, emotionless world of the Bush government and friends, the best way to show your 'regret' over the murder of 19 Afghan civilians is to have your military commander say that such acts "shame the US military" and then follow it up by killing 21 more Afghan civilians.
May 9 2007
BBC News
US-led forces have killed at least 21 civilians in an air strike in southern Afghanistan, local officials say.
Helmand provincial Governor Asadullah Wafa said civilian homes were bombed in Sangin district, where foreign and Afghan troops are battling the Taleban.
The US-led coalition said one of its troops died in fighting in Sangin, but it had no reports of civilian deaths.
Mounting civilian casualties have caused an outcry in Afghanistan, with foreign forces accused of carelessness.
It doesn't get any clearer than this. A group of people, with no conscience and therefore no shame, no empathy, no emotion, no love, hold the reigns of power on planet earth. They do not distinguish between Afghani, Iraqi, European, African or American. We are all fodder for their demented psychopathic agenda. It's time to wake up, because it's coming to your doorstep.
When the military wheeled out Col. Nicholson the other day, this was only in response to the growing number of daily protests by Afghans at the killing of civilians, which were in danger of getting too much press coverage. Lets see what they say now... perhaps that the 21 were "put in harms way" by militants, as they can't use the the tried and trusted "caught in crossfire" routine for this.
As for the $2,000 for each death, it seems likely that if any of the journalists who had their footage erased were to sue they would far more than this in compensation. Its a psychopathic world where erased film costs more than erased lives.