February 11, 2009 3:58 PM
- Text
Bombing Afghanistan
But why were bombs dropped on Mujib's house? As we said, the Army wouldn't speak to us about it. An Air Force source says that Mujib's house was a Taliban hideout. But through an interpreter, the villagers disputed that, and they said the U.S. should have known better.
"The Americans came here the day before they bombed, they searched the whole house and saw women and children in the house," says Mujib's uncle, Gulam Nabi.
"This is such an important point. Let me be sure I've got this. Who came the day before?" Pelley asks.
"The Americans," a translator explains.
We took their accusation to the military, and an Air Force source confirmed that U.S. troops searched the house the day before. We don't know what those troops may have seen or reported.
Marc Garlasco left the Pentagon in 2003 to become senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. He has examined this case and he told 60 Minutes that even if Mujib's father was a local Taliban leader, the air strike backfired.
"You have to ask yourself, is a mid-level thug worth nine dead civilians? But it goes beyond that. You're not talking about just losing nine dead civilians. You're also talking about violent protests throughout the country, requesting a democratically elected government be taken down, you then take people who maybe were in a pro-government area, and all of a sudden you're turning them against you, and turning them towards the Taliban," Garlasco says.
"To return just for a moment to the bombing at Kapisa," Pelley addresses President Karzai. "A rocket was fired at a U.S. base there. It missed. No one was hurt. And yet, the response was to drop 4,000 pounds of explosives on that neighborhood."
"That is wrong," the president says.
"They hit what they were aiming at," Pelley points out.
"That is a mistake," Karzai says. "I know that. It may be at times careless. A careless mistake, but not deliberate."
"There is one young boy who is the sole survivor from that house," Pelley tells Karzai. "A seven-year-old boy named Mujib. We asked him what he thought of the Americans and as you might expect, he said, 'I hate them.'"
"Naturally," Karzai agrees.
"That doesn't bode well for the future," Pelley says.
"Yeah, it doesn't," Karzai responds. "That's why I'm so strongly asking for rethink of the use of air force. And this little boy I will call to my office. I will share his pain with him, as do the rest of the Afghan people. And try to get him a future."
Earlier this year, Mujib did travel to meet with President Karzai. In light of last week's air strike, with claims of 90 civilians killed, Karzai now says his government is re-examining its relationship with U.S. and NATO forces.
Produced By Solly Granatstein
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. "The Americans came here the day before they bombed, they searched the whole house and saw women and children in the house," says Mujib's uncle, Gulam Nabi.
"This is such an important point. Let me be sure I've got this. Who came the day before?" Pelley asks.
"The Americans," a translator explains.
We took their accusation to the military, and an Air Force source confirmed that U.S. troops searched the house the day before. We don't know what those troops may have seen or reported.
Marc Garlasco left the Pentagon in 2003 to become senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. He has examined this case and he told 60 Minutes that even if Mujib's father was a local Taliban leader, the air strike backfired.
"You have to ask yourself, is a mid-level thug worth nine dead civilians? But it goes beyond that. You're not talking about just losing nine dead civilians. You're also talking about violent protests throughout the country, requesting a democratically elected government be taken down, you then take people who maybe were in a pro-government area, and all of a sudden you're turning them against you, and turning them towards the Taliban," Garlasco says.
"To return just for a moment to the bombing at Kapisa," Pelley addresses President Karzai. "A rocket was fired at a U.S. base there. It missed. No one was hurt. And yet, the response was to drop 4,000 pounds of explosives on that neighborhood."
"That is wrong," the president says.
"They hit what they were aiming at," Pelley points out.
"That is a mistake," Karzai says. "I know that. It may be at times careless. A careless mistake, but not deliberate."
"There is one young boy who is the sole survivor from that house," Pelley tells Karzai. "A seven-year-old boy named Mujib. We asked him what he thought of the Americans and as you might expect, he said, 'I hate them.'"
"Naturally," Karzai agrees.
"That doesn't bode well for the future," Pelley says.
"Yeah, it doesn't," Karzai responds. "That's why I'm so strongly asking for rethink of the use of air force. And this little boy I will call to my office. I will share his pain with him, as do the rest of the Afghan people. And try to get him a future."
Earlier this year, Mujib did travel to meet with President Karzai. In light of last week's air strike, with claims of 90 civilians killed, Karzai now says his government is re-examining its relationship with U.S. and NATO forces.
Produced By Solly Granatstein
377 Comments +
Popular Now in 60 Minutes
- A Face in the Crowd: Say goodbye to anonymity
- North Korean prisoner escaped after 23 brutal years
- Michael Jackson's lucrative legacy
- North Korean prisoner escaped after 23 brutal years
- Afghan children on a long and perilous journey
- MJ's "manifesto," penned in 1979
- A Face in the Crowd, Three Generations of Punishment, Michael Jackson
- Bill Gates 2.0
- Hitler's Secret Archive
- A Face in the Crowd: Say goodbye to anonymity
- Becoming human: Shin's new life
- A Long and Dangerous Journey, Lion Kings, Taylor Swift
- Taylor Swift: A young singer's meteoric rise
- Michael Jackson's lucrative legacy
- Bill Gates on Steve Jobs: We grew up together
- North Korean prisoner escaped after 23 brutal years
