US kills Afghan civilians in Kabul

This video from the USA says about itself:

13 May 2009

Thousands of Afghan villagers hurled stones at police last week as they vented their fury at American air strikes that local officials say killed up to 147 civilians.

From Al Jazeera today:

Afghans riot after deadly accident

Rioters in the Afghan capital have set fire to two US embassy vehicles shouting “death to America” after one of the SUVs collided with a civilian car killing a number of passengers, officials and witnesses have said.

Police fired into the air to disperse the crowd of angry Afghans who threw stones and chanted “death to Karzai” in reference to Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president.

Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Afghanistan James Bays said the exact details of the incident are still unclear, but security officials are concerned.

“Some in the crowds said people got out of a [passenger] vehicle and embassy guards started firing,” our correspondent said on Friday.

Nato’s International security assistance force (Isaf) said it had dispatched a quick reaction force to the area outside the American embassy and near Afghan and US army bases in the centre of Kabul.

Saleh Ahmed, a local resident in Kabul, said the accident happend when the civilian vehicle attempted to drive onto the main road from a side street and was hit by one of the two SUVs.

“The civilian vehicle was trying to get into the main road when the two foreign vehicles hit it and killed all four occupants,” Ahmed said.

“People gathered around the crash site to see what happened, got angry and started attacking the foreigners.”

Security concerns

Security forces were concerned that the deadly traffic accident could lead to widespread rioting, our correspondent said.

A similar accident in May 2006 led to massive riots in Kabul that left at least 14 people dead.

…

Outside of the capital, three US soldiers were killed in two seperate blasts in Afghanistan, bringing this month’s death toll to at least 63, making July the deadliest month for American forces in nearly nine years of war.

The three service members died in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, Nato said in a statement on Friday.

The statement did not provide the nationalities of the dead, but US officials speaking on the condition of anonymity said all three were Americans.

June had previously been the deadliest month for US troops as well as the overall Nato led force.

A total of 104 international troops died in June, including 60 Americans, according to a tally compiled by Associated Press.

See also here.

Afghans protest civilian deaths, American presence and NATO bombardments: here.

Pakistan’s U.N. ambassador says the Afghanistan war “doesn’t seem winnable”: here.

Top Democrats Pressure White House on Afghan War as WikiLeaks Reveals Bloody Realities: here.

US Congress war spend busts $1 trillion mark: here.

An in-depth study into the effect of nine years of war on US troops has found that the suicide rate in the military now exceeds the rate nationally: here.

As casualties in Afghanistan rise, Army suicides, drug use set new records: here.

British army counts huge rise in Afghan war amputees: here.

Dutch troops end Afghanistan deployment: here.

The last month has seen six Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, bringing our country’s total to seventeen. Yet even with a federal election looming and 61 percent of Australians wanting troops brought home, our involvement in the war has bipartisan support. In fact, far from raising questions over our mission there, these deaths seem to only strengthen the government’s resolve to remain. The same seems to be true of the U.S. and many other NATO countries. It strengthens their resolve not because it makes the mission there any more necessary, or more strategically important, but because of a principle called “the sacrifice trap”: here.

Why talk of ‘fighting poverty’ rings hollow in Afghanistan and beyond: here.

Why is the US in Afghanistan – Russia and China? Here.

‘Capture or Kill’: Germany Gave Names to Secret Taliban Hit List: here.

Dutch soldiers left Afghanistan for home on Sunday as the Netherlands became the first Nato state to withdraw combat troops from the underdeveloped country: here.

A new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research supports the prevailing view of counterinsurgency strategists who believe civilian casualties help Taliban recruiting drives: here.