Karzai To NATO: “Afghan Life Not Cheap”
After 90 Civilian Deaths In 10 Days, Afghan President Karzai Demands That NATO “Do Better”
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An Afghan soldier holds his RPG rocket during a Afghan National Army humanitarian aid distribution in the Andar district of Ghazni province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan on Friday, June 22, 2007. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
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An Afghan man looks the dead body of Janan, who, according to his family and witnesses, was killed by foreign troops in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, June 19, 2007. (AP Photo/Allah Uddin)
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Shah Agha shows the bullet marks on a wall caused, he claims, when foreign troops raided his house in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on June 19, 2007. (AP Photo/Allauddin Khan)
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Afghan police officers stop a vehicle for checking on a street in Kabul, June 18, 2007. (AP Photo/Farzana Wahidy)
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An Afghan doctor checks the wounds of a man at a hospital after a bomb blast in Kabul on June 17, 2007. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
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Fast Facts Afghanistan Learn about the people, economy and history.
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Interactive The NATO Alliance Learn about the history of the defense group, check out the 26 NATO members.
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Interactive Rebuilding Afghanistan Learn about the nation's geography, history and people and find out what is being done to rebuild.
“Afghan life is not cheap and it should not be treated as such,” Karzai said in an angry rebuke that drew a contrite acknowledgment from NATO that it must “do better.”
In the past 10 days, more than 90 civilians have been killed by air strikes and artillery fire targeting Taliban insurgents, Karzai said. The mounting toll is sapping the authority of the Western-backed Afghan president, who has pleaded repeatedly with U.S. and NATO commanders to consult Afghan authorities during operations and show more restraint.
“Several times in the last year, the Afghan government tried to prevent civilian casualties, but our innocent people are becoming victims of careless operations of NATO and international forces,” Karzai said at a news conference in his Kabul palace.
The casualties listed by Karzai bring the number of civilians killed in NATO or U.S.-led military operations this year to 211, according to an Associated Press tally of figures provided by Afghan and foreign officials and witnesses.
That tops the 172 civilians killed in militant attacks.
“If NATO forces want to be successful in their fight against terrorism and in bringing security to Afghanistan, they should coordinate with the Afghan government, no matter if the operation is small or big,” Karzai said in a mixture of English and his native Pashto.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force responded contritely.
“President Karzai has a right to be disappointed and angry over the scale of civilian casualties in the last few days,” ISAF spokesman Nick Lunt said. “We need to do better than we have been doing so far.”
Foreign commanders insist they take great care to avoid civilian deaths while trying to beat back the Taliban so that Karzai's frail government can deliver services to the impoverished south and east.
Both U.S. and NATO forces, however, rely heavily on devastating air power. That helps minimize foreign troop casualties while inflicting heavy losses on militants — but also regularly harms innocents.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.
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See all 60 CommentsDid you also happen to notice that you're suffering from "Bush syndrome"? Whenever anything bad happened in our country for 4 years, it was related to terrorism.
High unemployment numbers? - Terrorism.
Weakening economy? - Terrorism.
Now in Iraq, anyone our troops fight is Al Qaeda.
"Casualties Mount In Push Against Al Qaeda"
"U.S. and Iraqi troops captured two senior al Qaeda militants in northern Iraq."
And now you. Anyone that posts anything on these boards that criticizes Bush or the war is a "internet jihadist" or a "far-leftist liberal".
By the way, if I have the choice between being a far-left liberal that cares about people and social justice, or being a war loving neo-con that likes to see American troops die without a reason, I'll be a far left liberal every time. And if you truly were a Christian, you would too. Hypocrite.
Posted by singinrick at 03:53 AM : Jun 24, 2007
I consider myself a far-left liberal, and I don't hate Jews and Christians. I hate religion period. You think that your religion is the "right" one because you hold the moral high ground? That's fine - if you believe in those morals, then live by them. While living by them, keep them to yourself. Quit trying to force your religious beliefs on everyone else, the way that Bush does. In other words, when you think that you're morally superior and feel the need to comment on someone else when it doesn't concern you, maybe you should mind your own business.
If he were really anything other than a tool, he would call for the US and NATO to get out of there, and call for a power sharing arrangement with the Taliban. If the Taliban don't accept, that is Afghanistan's problem to sort, not the US, or NATO, and Karzai's mistake thinking Bushit could prop him up forever.
But then again, Bush wouldn't get to play with his new oil pipeline...
I think I'll file this under "No Sh*t, Sherlock".
Everyone's a terrorist, they will nuc you & eat your children, scared enough to elect another republican yet ???
RE: "On Saturday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai accused NATO and U.S.-led forces of mounting 'careless operations' that killed more than 90 civilians in the last 10 days."
"Pakistan's army said a rocket fired during the battle hit a house on its side of the border, killing nine civilians."
Killing civilians in Afghanistan. Killing civilians in Pakistan. Now we see the true nature of the 'successes' against 'al Qaeda' that CBS and other Corporate media sources have been touting recently.
What a shameful and futile goose-chase.
We said he was nothing but an ineffective mayor of Kabul & an Opium dealer & you called us Un-American & Un-Patriotic. ---- So who are you praising this week ?????
Who knows how many Afghans that the regime has managed to slaughter and torture by now?
Poppy/opium production has been returned from negligable, under Taliban rule, back to a bumper crop, constituting the majortiy of the world's supply.
Warlords and druglords have been placed into power, along with former Unocal executive Hamis Karzai, ensuring pipeline construction and profitable resource extraction for the multinational oil pirates.
Mission Accomplished!!!
Time for our troops to come home!
The part of the brain that normal, healthy humans have which make them critical of crazy cults has been lobotimized in muslim brains.
Muslims are absolutely incapable of self-criticism or seeing the horrendous fault in their own belief system. If you look through the entire thread here, j-whitman not once criticized Islam but couldn't shut up about Jews and Americans.
CharlesDJohn, you're quite right-I've read the history on the spread of Islam-the only times countries were able to defeat them was when they wiped them out completely, such as in Spain, France in the past-same with places in India.
I'd be nice if 'we could all just get along', but as you very well described, Islam cannot tolerate any other religion, culture or ideology and this makes it grave danger to all non-muslims.
The other side of the "patch of dirt" is all the invadeing US troops are not worth one Iraqie child.
Good day!
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