Bombing Afghanistan

Afghan President Tells 60 Minutes That Too Many Civilians Are Being Killed

(CBS)  This segment was originally broadcast on Oct. 28, 2007. It was updated on Aug. 28, 2008.

There's been a burst of fighting in Afghanistan in recent weeks. The enemy sent waves of suicide bombers to attack U.S. bases. Allied troops and unarmed humanitarian workers have been ambushed and killed. Now there is controversy about whether an American air strike killed a large number of civilians.

The Afghan government says about 90 civilians were killed last week in the strike, as many as 60 of them children. U.N. investigators say they verified those deaths. The U.S. military insists only five civilians were killed, but it's investigating.

As correspondent Scott Pelley first reported last year, the Afghan government has been demanding an end to air strikes, even though the U.S. military says they're vital to supporting the troops. 60 Minutes wanted to find out what effect the strikes are having on the war, so we traveled to a small Afghan village that was hit by American bombs in March 2007.

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Our journey took us through Afghanistan, up the Shomali Plain north of the capital, Kabul. The Taliban are active in the area, so 60 Minutes hired Panjshiri mercenaries to cover our trip. The scene of the air strike is a village in the hills above Kapisa Province.

The 60 Minutes team found the dead buried in a cornfield. It appears there were no enemy combatants. It was four generations of one family, all killed in the air strike: an 85-year-old man, four women, and four children, ranging in age from five years to seven months. One boy survived. The night of the bombing, seven-year-old Mujib happened to be staying with his uncle, Gulam Nabi.

"Some of the bodies were missing a hand or a leg or half a head. We recognized one of them only by the clothes she was wearing," Nabi remembers.

Nabi recognized Mujib's mother among the dead.

"I saw my mom, my sisters, and my brother and my grandfather were dead. And our house was destroyed," the little boy remembers.

Mujib's father was not there. He's accused of being a local Taliban leader and the U.S. has been searching for him with no luck. The air strike came the night of March 4. An Army press release says it started after enemy forces fired a rocket at a U.S. base above the village. The rocket fell "causing no coalition casualties," in fact, "missing the fire base" altogether. Then U.S. pilots saw two men with AK-47 rifles leaving the scene of the rocket attack and entering a compound in the village.

The fort, which is on a hill, began raining down mortar fire on part of the village -- mortar fire that came down for about an hour. It was nighttime, and even though there were no U.S. forces in contact with the enemy on the ground, a decision was made after the mortars to call in an air strike. U.S. Air Force aircraft dropped two bombs on the neighborhood, each one weighing 2,000 pounds.

The bombs hit their intended targets, but when the smoke cleared there were no men with rifles -- just Mujib's family.

"During the Russian invasion we haven’t heard of 10 members of one family being killed by Russians in one incident. But the Americans did that," a villager remarked.

These Afghans, like many others, are trying to decide whether to support the U.S.-backed government. We expected anger, but we didn’t expect this.

"You can't be saying that the Soviets were kinder to your people than the Americans have been," Pelley remarks.

"We used to hate the Russians much more than Americans," the villager replied. "But now when we see all this happening, I am telling you Russians behave much better than the Americans."

Really, there's no comparison. The Soviets killed something like a million Afghans over ten years. But it's the kind of thing that Afghans are saying, and here's why: in 2007, 22 air strikes killed more than 320 civilians, according to the humanitarian organization Human Rights Watch.

It leaves Afghan President Hamid Karzai explaining to his people why they’re being killed by his allies.

"Why are so many Afghan civilians being killed by U.S. forces?" Pelley asks.

"The United States and the Coalition Forces are not doing that deliberately. The United States is here to help the Afghan people. The Afghan people understand that mistakes are made. But five years on, six years on, definitely, very clearly, they cannot comprehend as to why there is still a need for air power," Karzai explains.

Asked if he is asking the American government to roll back the air strikes, Karzai says, "Absolutely. Oh, yes, in clear words."

Karzai told 60 Minutes he delivered those words, privately, to President George W. Bush last year, but he decided to take the message public in this interview. "And I want to repeat that, alternatives to the use of air force. And I will speak for it again through your media," he says.

"You're demanding that?" Pelley asks.

"Absolutely," Karzai says.

[rtdccpalmer]

My previous post seems to have been lost. Let me restate my case. This is the second hachet job Pelley has done on our military in two weeks.

He obviously knows nothing about combat, he now nothing about how the military works, he only knows how to impose his own bias onto every story he reports, or better into every story he acts as he is not reporter.

Scott.. a rocket is fired at an american base, it does not matter if it does not hit the base, you don''t wait for them to get better at aiming their rocket you take them out. You see two men with AK-47''s leaving a building you take them out.

The military is not their on a humanitarian mission they are there to find and kill the enemy.

As I stated in my previous post. I am sure that the Military would allow Mr. Pelley to personally go over and knock on the door of each buliding from which fire is received to see if it was an accident.

I would love to see that happen. He wouldn''t make it past the first door he knocked upon.

[formerwny]

Re the bombing Afghanistan segment! Scott Pelley asked whether the life of one terrorist was worth the life of all the civilians killed after jets dropped two bombs on an Afghan village. My answer would be "*** right". If any type of action prevents the loss of any of our troops, it''s done its job. I watch 60 Minutes faithfully and most of the time you''re right on the button, but sometimes I wonder about other stories you report. This is a war and nothing less. Civilians will be killed along with the bad guys. Soemtimes we have to stoop to their level to accomplish the mission.

[morganmf]

If NATO stops the air support to the ground troops the deaths of those troops on the ground will expand and they will not be able to protect the Afghan people and help this country as it works towards freedom. This CBS propaganda is clearly one sided and misguided...why don''t you call for the Taliban to stop utilizing civilians as shields and fighting within their villages.

[paulstike]

Your reporting needs to be more objective. As a veteran of an unpopular war, alot of the time civilians are the local enemy force, men, women and children. If you can''t report on both sides, stay home and enjoy the freedom our armed forces are providing you.

[mksuttonenfj]

I have ceased to be surprised, but I continue to be appalled by the continued hatchet jobs you continue to produce condemning the U.S. military. Starting with Vietnam through today, you constantly promote any situation that puts the U.S in a bad light. None of you have ever walked in the shoes of those who face death every day defending this country. "CBS" really does stand for the "Communist Broadcasting Network."

[mksuttonenfj]

I have ceased to be surprised, but I continue to be appalled by the continued hatchet jobs you continue to produce condemning the U.S. military. Starting with Vietnam through today, you constantly promote any situation that puts the U.S in a bad light. None of you have ever walked in the shoes of those who face death every day defending this country. "CBS" really does stand for the "Communist Broadcasting Network."

[mksuttonenfj]

I have ceased to be surprised, but I continue to be appalled by the continued hatchet jobs you continue to produce condemning the U.S. military. Starting with Vietnam through today, you constantly promote any situation that puts the U.S in a bad light. None of you have ever walked in the shoes of those who face death every day defending this country. "CBS" really does stand for the "Communist Broadcasting Network."

[middleman8]

These are the results when stupid people follow a silly flag and let the propaganda behind said flag govern their actions.

[mitch5511]

This is how "blowback" begins. Very cavalier by the US military.

[nacalor]

Provocative, though I missed the reason that this is being reiterated almost a year later. I suppose it''s due to that recent incident involving civilian casualties in Afghanistan. All-in-all, the time between major incidents would seem to indicate that the U.S. has done a fair job of controlling this sort of error. Marc Garlasco provides fascinating background on the whole process of targeting and what the Coalition has done to limit civilian casualties in this interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=89460867&m=89460864 . Listen to the last 12 minutes, especially, to hear how serious this issue is being taken by the U.S. military.

[mrosenthal5]

I dont understand the comment that Pelley makes that the missle shot at the US base missed and still we bombed the village. What does it matter if the missle hit or not?

[hassankazi]

wow,after reading this the truth stands out completely?here the u.s military is itself tellin the reprter that the day before they bombed n killed the women n childeren of the house in afghanistan,the u.s evil doers had visited the house and searched it?and had not found any weopens or ammo or any talibans?so the next day after gathering the intelligence that there were only civilians in the house n in the compound they go and bomb it with a two thousand pound bomb?knowing fully well women n childeren resided in the house?what does it tells the right thinkin people?that the u.s intentionally kills civilians and then to cover their shame up they leave weopans and ammo at the site so as to prove to the world that all those killed were terrorists?i say what a freakin shame?even a eunach or hijda if he ever would get in to a fight would not act like this but would either curse n abuse or lift up his saree n show his *** n walk away?but i guess the americans and israelis fall in to a total different catogary all to gether ?but just like they like gathering info first?gustav n hanna will do the same?and saddam n yassin who are near the coast of africa will follow shortly later?inshallah(ameen)

[catarina008]

You are unbelievable Scott Pelley! Go live in Afghanistan or Russia for the rest of your life. What a pathetic representation of disloyalty to the wonderful country of the United States of America. Thank God we have military soldiers that are much more loyal & brighter than you. Can you seriously think the public would believe that you can ask an Afghan civilian how they feel about the Americans vs. the Russians? They should be more afraid/dislike the Americans. Not because we are the terriorst. We are there to defend & protect America. We were attacked FIRST. Only an uneducated, incompetent person would believe that we can peacefully shake hands & stop this war. The taliban''s philosophy of life & the value they place on their civillian''s lives are the exact opposite of the true American values. Please, go live in Afghan or Russia & stop this disloyalty to America. Hopefully some day you will come to appreciate why American soldiers fight for the values & principals that protect America.

[joe_transit]

It''s not hard to realize that there are better ways to help people then to blow them up. Repeatedly killing innocent people is more then just a careless mistake, incompetence is a more accurate word. It''s just another half ***-ed war. All the while we get the impression that Bush just does not care or does he take it serious enough. The only life Bush seems to value are those making over $5 million a year. McSame is no different. But wait, we''ll have a moose meat eating beauty queen / soccer mom to the rescue, NOT.
Do it right the first time and save some money for home.

[nick_rehm]

Move over Jane Fonda. Scott Pelley is in town. My family and I were appaled at your story. We were sorry to hear about the young boy losing his family, but we are also deeply troubled about the Taliban sending waves of suicide bombers to attack US bases, ambushing and killing Allied troops and unarmed humanitarians. The Taliban are known to use women and children as a shield in the war effort. If they will use women and children, will they not also use a CBS correspndent from 60 minutes?

while the tillybangs chant death to Amrika Amrika chants death to cbs. Winner to be announced soon on focs

CBS the stinking taliboob channel

Just watched the tripe - er, antiamerican propaganda on a dinosaur channel that has been dead for eons but refuses to rot. Shame on you stinking cbs. 300 civilians dead out of 30 million in a war against a coward criminal bunch who hide behind wimin and chirren? And the alleged reporterello looking horrified? Does the reporteretto remember what the russians did ? There was no one to report the mayhem, was there. SHAME, CBS. May you
be off the air soon.

[laguna666]

Yo Steve,
Why not ask Karzide to send his own military to get the bad guys, then no air power is needed. After all the money, time and blood we have spent, your people should be able to handle things so our soldiers can come home.

If you asked this question, you couldnt paint the military as killers, which is your agenda.

[marill2]

Your report on how American troops are making careless mistakes in bombing innocent civilians was handled in an irresponsible manner which further encourages dirty fighting by the terrorists and demoralizes those that desire to defeat them. Instead of focusing on the negative actions of the US, why are you so slow to fully portray the evil brutality of the enemy? If the American news reporting during WWII was as anti-American as Scott Pelley''s, Germany and Japan might have won the war. Mr. Pelley, have you no conscience? Mr. Pelley, are you just another political sensationalist who cares more about your ratings than your country?