STOP BOMBING YOURSELF

STOP BOMBING YOURSELF, STOP BOMBING YOURSELF, STOP BOMBING YOURSELF

the us military "investigation" in response to last week's accusations by the UN special envoy to afghanistan (i.e. 90 civilians dead, including 60 children) has repudiated these claims and offered the following death toll instead, (selon the nytimes):

30-35 taliban
5-7 civilians
2 civilian injuries.

while the UN said it was more like

60 dead children
15 dead men
15 dead women
15 others injured.

the unquoted, unsourced story explaining (i.e. defending) the american side of the story said the troops were rolling into town when they were attacked. their mission was called of while they destroyed the town. the rules of engagement then called for the us military to shoot-up the town and call in air-strikes, resulting in the grostesque deathtoll substantiated by the UN.

UN: "ninety dead."
US: "thirty, tops. bad guys."
UN: "sixty children..."
Afghanistan: "please: stop bombing us."
US: ****FAART****

the nytimes reminds us that the us investigator did not use information collected by other organizations, nor were troops "able" to return to the scene of the crime when the "villagers dug out most of the bodies of the women and children."

so, basically: "well, we weren't around to Count any of the bodies, but, ugh... i dunno... forty! sorry."

STOP BOMBING YOURSELF, STOP BOMBING YOURSELF, STOP BOMBING YOURSELF

meanwhile, the rest of the world isn't so interested in america's dispute of yesterday's war-crimes, there are fresh, bloody ones to marvel at. by nato's own admission three children were killed and seven injured when a bomb from an artillery strike hit their house on monday, says the guardian.

also on monday, in what the guardian calls a "separate incident" but i will be far more fair and balanced and say:

in another manifestation of the brutal stupidness of war, a man and a women and their two children were shot during a raid in another part of the country, and everyone but mom died. the raiding forces (all afghans: the us washes its hands of this one) arrested three cousins at the scene, but later released them.

STOP BOMBING YOURSELF, STOP BOMBING YOURSELF, STOP BOMBING YOURSELF

meanwhile the unbridled orgy of violence that is afghanistan seems appealing (again) to the russians, so they've agreed to send 225 "police officers" to help train the afghan national police, said the times, which i thought was just russia being petchulant towards nato until i read the story today in the guardian about how the afghan police force is super-corrupt, takes part in many of the kidnappings and has scared the afghan business class, who have shuffled off to the uae (snart move: a country that is not being bombed.) maybe the russians are re-learning police corruption, or atleast getting their mouth wet. when is anything with guns really "help"?