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Most would not remember Karl Rove’s weapon of choice in America’s failing wars of occupation; Rove publicly stated that UAVs or Drones, as they are more commonly known, would be the ‘decisive’ weapon in South Asia! As it turns out, Drones are also the favourite weapon of Puppet-in-Chief, Barack Obaa’ma -- is anyone surprised?’
Captain Drone -- artwork, Mr Fish
Dispelling all notions that he is the peoples’ President, Obama has deployed three times more Drones in illegal attacks on civilians than the previous Cheney/Bush administration. Karl and Barack, it seems, have more in common than either would care to publicly admit. However, regardless of the REAL forces that rule the USA the REALITY is that DRONES kill far more civilians than combatants -- hardly surprising when weapon systems are remotely controlled and deployed from 30,000 feet!
America’s love of gimmicks and media presentations allowed an unwise military to release footage of a Drone’s-eye view of attacks until some smart military lawyer realised the footage could be used in war crimes trials!
Nonetheless, exuberant CIA and Pentagon morons were slow to get the point as most people have seen images of ant-like humans scurrying for cover as Drone-launched hellfire missiles blew people and buildings to smithereens. Imbeciles in the military and CIA thought this was a great propaganda stunt at the time until it became evident Drones killed 10 times more civilians than combatants! Wedding parties were the favourite target in Afghanistan – only GROUND FOOTAGE of innocent men, women and children lying dead and dismembered curtailed the use of Drone footage in the popular media. And that is my point, GROUND footage!
You SEE, the view from thirty thousand feet cannot precisely determine targets. Drones at (safe) high altitudes are incapable of isolating a target unless that target is conveniently ISOLATED and identified by other means. Postmodern 'invisible' warfare demanded the use of ground spotters who proved to be notoriously counter-productive. It has been revealed that numerous personal vendettas have been carried out by local tribesmen ground spotters targeting non-military targets instead of combatants, but that’s the nature of today’s CRIMINALLY IMPRECISE Drone warfare! The solution: America knowingly engages in a 20-1 kill ratio of innocent civilians for every combatant – a WAR CRIME in any Lawyer’s book!
Interestingly, CIA and Pentagon personnel that ‘fly’ Drone missions, sometimes thousands of miles from the blood drenched front, are obliged to obtain clearance or approval from superiors prior to launching missile strikes, it seems few have the stomach required for killing civilians these days; planning long careers without the ‘inconvenience’ of facing indictments for war crimes may also have a little bearing on why approval rests with only a few!
The COSTS and consequences to the USA of indiscriminate warfare are ENORMOUS not the least of which is losing popular SUPPORT on the local and home fronts. We shouldn’t forget that LEGAL support is lost whenever civilians are knowingly targeted. [The need to transfer attack responsibility (clearance) to hardcore sociopaths or maladjusts in the ‘agency’ or military should now be clear!]
It is widely known that Drones have the lowest known enemy kill ratio of any weapon deployed in today’s wars, but that little FACT doesn’t reduce or eliminate their use; in a typical Orwellian inversion, Obama has tripled the use of Drones in today’s conflict zones – and you wonder why entire populations mobilise against invaders that indiscriminately kill innocent civilians!
O, I almost forgot; personnel controlling Drones may not see or smell the blood and guts as graphically as a direct confrontation, but at least they get home in time for dinner each day -- chronic indigestion notwithstanding!
You have lost already, America; you’re just too stupid to realise!
Taliban freedom fighters gain widespread support and approval for targeting CIA murderers of civilians
This is AUSTRALIA reporting in its fight against FLAGRANT U.S. TERRORISM.
When the Courts fail the people the people dispense justice -- the existing system is disintegrating thanks to CORRUPT America flouting International law and convention. And you morons thought there wouldn't be a COST! AMERICA IS DESTROYING the entire FABRIC of WESTERN SOCIETY -- FACT!
ARREST KNOWN War Criminals (NOW) and hold them to account. Include puppet politicians that are accessories before and after the fact.. Then proceed to round up their Corporatist masters. Only after JUSTICE is restored would society have a chance to SURVIVE. The way forward is CLEAR.
KABUL — The Afghan government demanded Thursday to take into its custody foreigners wanted over the alleged killing of 10 civilians, sharply escalating a war of words with its powerful Western military backers.
The National Security Council (NSC) made the demand at talks chaired by President Hamid Karzai, who has been vocal in condemning international forces he believes are responsible for the incident last Saturday in the eastern flashpoint of Kunar.
"The meeting of the National Security Council demanded that those responsible for the deaths of those innocent youths must be handed over to the Afghan government," a statement from Karzai's office said.
Sensitivities about civilian casualties allegedly caused by NATO or US-led operations have driven a wedge between Karzai and his Western military allies who help keep his fragile government in power.
Karzai's ties with the West have already deteriorated over his controversial re-election after a ballot mired in fraud.
Around 113,000 NATO and US troops are fighting against a Taliban-led insurgency determined to topple Karzai's government and evict foreign forces, in an increasingly lethal war -- for civilians as well as combatants.
The row escalated Wednesday when Afghan government investigators accused Western forces of killing 10 civilians, eight of them teenagers, in a raid in Kunar province, which borders Pakistan.
NATO forces have disputed the results of the Afghan probe, saying the foreigners involved were non-military Americans on a sanctioned operation who fired in self-defence after being shot at by villagers.
But Afghanistan's powerful NSC accepted the findings of the investigation, saying foreigners entered a house and shot the 10 people, who were unarmed and posed no threat.
"International forces entered the area... and killed 10 youths, eight of them school students inside two rooms in a house, without encountering any armed resistance," the statement said.
The NSC condemned the "killing and emphasized the need for more coordination in military operations in a bid to avoid civilian deaths".
Around 1,500 people took to the streets Thursday for the latest in a string of protests over the alleged killings, using sticks to beat an effigy of US President Barack Obama and shouting "death to Obama", witnesses said.
In Asadabad, capital of Kunar, hundreds of students led the march chanting "death to America," "death to Britain and those who killed the students", witnesses said.
"We want the perpetrators brought to justice. The coalition forces must stop unilateral operations," said organiser Abdul Wahab.
Afghan authorities said they were also investigating reports of further civilian deaths in a NATO air strike.
The probe was launched into reports that nine civilians were killed in a NATO air strike near the town of Lashkar Gah in the troubled southern province of Helmand on Wednesday.
Daud Ahmadi, a spokesman for Helmand governor Gulab Mangal, said civilians had been killed in the Lashkar Gah bombing, but he had no figures or other details.
"We know civilians have been killed but we don't know how many. The governor has sent a delegation to the area to provide some cash support to the victims' families and investigate the incident," Ahmadi said.
Mohammad Alam, who said he had taken a wounded man to the city's hospital, said villagers had gathered to discuss water distribution when the air strike took place late Wednesday.
"All of a sudden the area was bombed, eight people were killed on the spot, another was wounded whom I brought to hospital, he died later," he said.
The war of words over civilian casualties came as the Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a US base that killed eight US civilians, and after a bomb attack killed five Canadians, including a reporter.
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani police will ask a court to charge five Americans detained in the country this month with planning terrorist attacks and jail them for life, a police official said on Thursday.
The young Americans, from Virginia, are accused of contacting militants groups over the Internet in a bid to wage holy war. Pakistani officials have said the Taliban had planned to use them to carry out attacks inside U.S. ally Pakistan.
"A joint investigation team has concluded its probe and we'll present them before a court on January 4 to seek life imprisonment sentences under anti-terrorist laws," said Usman Anwar, police chief in Sargodha, where the men were arrested.
"We'll prove in the court that their aim was just to spread terrorism under the garb of jihad and for that, they were in touch with Taliban and other Arab militants in tribal areas."
Pakistan's Pashtun tribal lands bordering Afghanistan are known sanctuaries for al Qaeda and Taliban militants who fled the U.S.-led assault on Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks on United States.
Washington is pushing Pakistan to root out militants who cross the border to attack U.S.- and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan.
Emails showed that the Americans had plans to travel to a Pakistani nuclear power plant, according to police.
The case has illustrated how easy it is for anyone to pursue dreams of joining militant jihad through cyber channels, a worrying reality for Pakistan, already struggling on the ground to contain a Taliban insurgency.
The men -- two are of Pakistani ancestry, one of Egyptian, one of Yemeni and one of Eritrean -- were arrested in Sargodha, home to one of Pakistan's biggest airbases, 190 km (120 miles) southeast of Pakistani capital Islamabad.
Some analysts say the case of the Americans reflects a new strategy by militants to try to avoid tighter security measures by forming networks on the Internet.
They were found with maps and had intended to travel through northwest Pakistan to an al Qaeda and Taliban militant stronghold, officials said.
KABUL (Reuters) -- The United Nations said today that eight Afghan students died in a controversial nighttime raid last weekend, which NATO-led forces say only targeted insurgents but Afghan officials say killed 10 civilians.
Kai Eide, UN special representative in Afghanistan, said in a statement that preliminary investigations into the incident showed there were militants in the area at the time of the attack, but eight of the dead were teenaged civilians enrolled in local schools.
The deaths, in eastern Kunar Province, have sparked demonstrations about civilian casualties of the eight year war by hundreds of people in at least three Afghan cities.
The operation was a joint raid by Afghan and international military forces, Eide added, and condemned the practice of nighttime attacks on suspected insurgent shelters.
"The United Nations remains concerned about nighttime raids given that they often result in lethal outcomes for civilians, the dangerous confusion that frequently arises when a family compound is invaded, and the frustration of local authorities when operations are not coordinated with them," Eide said.
The incident has inflamed long-standing tensions between the Afghan government and Western forces.
President Hamid Karzai rapidly condemned the attack and ordered an investigation, but his high-profile denunciation comes at a time when there are signs that foreign forces' efforts to reduce civilian deaths may finally be having some effect.
Civilian casualties in previous attacks by NATO-led forces have stoked public anger towards both Westerners and the Afghan government they are backing.
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