Afghan air strike massacre report not published?


This video from Afghanistan says about itself:

A video shot by al-Jazeera English shows wounded civilians, destroyed houses and graves of villagers killed by a US-led air strike in the Bala Boluk district of Farah (Thursday 7 May 2009).

From Associated Press:

Pentagon may not release report on air strike

By Pauline Jelinek – The Associated Press

Posted : Monday Jun 15, 2009 14:50:13 EDT

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military is delaying release of its investigation into air strikes last month that killed dozens of civilians in Afghanistan, debating whether any more information on the incident should be made public.

Two senior defense officials said Monday the Pentagon was reconsidering a promise last week of an imminent release of a summary of the probe along with supporting video. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal Defense Department deliberations while release of the report is on hold.

Officials have already acknowledged publicly that U.S. troops did not follow proper tactics and procedures, and that mistakes were made during at least some of the May 4 air strikes targeting Taliban fighters in Farah province. Afghans say 140 civilians were killed,

The pro US Kabul government says this

while Americans say the number was about 30.

Asked about the delay, Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman would say only that the report was being reviewed.

The subject of how to control civilian deaths has been extremely sensitive in Afghanistan for some time.

One problem acknowledged in the May 4 operation was that an Air Force B-1 bomber received permission for a strike, then had to circle around and did not reconfirm its target before finally dropping a 2,000-pound bomb.

That left the possibility that civilians had entered the area or that the Taliban had left in the interim. Defense Department press secretary Geoff Morrell said last week that there was no way to know whether that caused civilian casualties, though other officials said previously that mistakes with a number of the strikes likely resulted in some deaths.

Electricity woes a way of life in Afghanistan: here.

3 thoughts on “Afghan air strike massacre report not published?

  1. Pingback: US atrocities in Afghanistan like in My Lai | Dear Kitty. Some blog

  2. Pingback: Blackwater defrauded taxpayers in Iraq | Dear Kitty. Some blog

  3. Pingback: Pentagon complicity in Afghan child abuse | Dear Kitty. Some blog

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