not today....
Petraeus Apologizes After Gunships Kill 9 Afghan Children
by Theunis Bates
Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has issued a rare apology for an airstrike that killed nine children gathering firewood in the east of the country. A 10th child was wounded.
"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," Petraeus said in a statement. "These deaths should have never happened."
Petraeus' swift apology Wednesday came hours after Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the deaths were the result of a "ruthless attack." He warned that the fight against "terrorism in Afghan villages" would never succeed if civilians continue "to suffer in the unjustifiable operations and bombings carried out by NATO and ISAF [the International Security Assistance Force]."
The children's deaths are the latest in a decade-long series of botched attacks that have killed civilians rather than militants and undermined efforts to win over the support of ordinary Afghans. While about three-quarters of civilian casualties in Afghanistan are caused by militants rather than coalition forces, deaths such as these can fuel hatred toward U.S.-led forces and produce new recruits for the Taliban.
call all American troops home once and for all..and save trillions of dollars..not to mention a handful of kids gathering firewood....
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