NATO general says Taliban using civilians as human shields, apologizes for recent deaths

International Herald Tribune ^ | Oct. 28, 2006 | AP

[FairOpinion]

NATO's top commander on Saturday said Taliban fighters are using civilians as human shields and that in the heat of battle it can be difficult to separate the two.

U.S. Gen. James L. Jones apologized for recent civilian deaths in southern Afghanistan during fighting between Taliban militants and NATO forces, saying "it is something that causes anybody in uniform to lose a lot of sleep."

"Sadly, in asymmetric warfare, when you're battling an insurgency, typically the insurgents do not play by the same rules that we would like to play by," Jones said at a news conference at Bagram, the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan.

Afghan officials have said that between 30 and 80 civilians were killed during battles in Panjwayi district in the southern province of Kandahar on Tuesday. NATO said its initial reports found that 12 civilians were killed and that between 50 and 70 militants died.

Death tolls in remote military action in Afghanistan are difficult to accurately pin down, and estimates often vary widely.

[FairOpinion]

Related:

Human Rights Watch asks NATO to compensate Afghan civilian victims

More civilians die in Afghanistan; UN expresses concern

WHY isn't the UN and Human Rights organizations condemn the TALIBAN and ask that THEY compensate for the civilian deaths?!

With their vision of the engagement rules, all the Taliban and terrorists have to do, is just get a civilian or two and hold them hostage and the entire world is supposed to just allow them to do anything they wish, including killing hundreds or thousands of other civilians?

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

A NATO general is apologizing for deaths in a war? If there is any justice, Gen. Patton's ghost will visit him and pimp-slap him a few dozen times.

[EagleUSA]

A NATO general is apologizing for deaths in a war?
-----
It is sickening. The PC crap that now has control of our military is beyond belief. Yes, Patton is rolling over in his grave, and so is Eisenhower, Marshall, and MacAurthur.

[operation clinton cleanup]

"Sadly, in asymmetric warfare, when you're battling an insurgency, typically the insurgents do not play by the same rules that we would like to play by,"

Maybe we need to negotiate an asymmetric/insurgent provision to the Geneva Conventions???

[FairOpinion]

You should see all the articles accusing NATO of killing civilians. He explained and apologized to try to defuse the situation.

The terrorist promoting media is using this to try to turn the Afghan people against the coalition forces, get them to leave, so the terrorists can rule once again.

Anti-war rally pushes for withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan

http://www.680news.com/news/local/article.jsp?content=20061028_103823_4972

[Axhandle]

In the General's defense, Patton, Marshall, and MacArthur didn't need to contend with homegrown anti-American scumbags who use civilian casualties, friendly casualties, and any reports that they can get their hands on to wear down the American people, in hopes of making us lose the war. The WWII Generals didn't need to worry about PC crap because they had a different breed of people supporting them back home. Today's military is on its own.

[FairOpinion]

This is why he apologized. All the terrorist loving organizations are ganging up on NATO for "killing civilians", but not a word of criticism of the Taliban, who are using human shields. THIS is what's sickening. The general can't fight the war. All the terrorist lovers in the world, which includes all the leftists, their various organizations masquarading as human rights organizations, and the MSM are bound and determined to turn the War on Terror into a Vietnam, to make us stop it, before the job is done. But stopping the War on Terror will result in unimginable carnage all over the world, including the US, when the terrorists start setting off nukes. Iran just doubled their nuclear enrichment program.


NATO blasted for Afghan civilian deaths

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4294310.html

[maine-iac7]

the insurgents do not play by the same rules that we would like to play by,"

but the libRats want them not only to have all the rights of the Geneva Convention - of which they are not a signatory, and which they don't even reach any level to qualify being covered by - except to be shot on sight - and they also want them to have all the rights of U.S. citizens and our courts - etc etc.

But you never hear the slightest objection from the libRats, including Red Cross, Human Rights, UN, ACLU, MSM, about the deliberate killing and hiding behind innocents by the barbarians...

Truly, the enemy within lends comfort and aide to our country's enemies - This great Nation and our free society cannot survive another demRats-in-power reign

[CottShop]

Hey Mainiac- I'ma ex-mainiac myself- sure miss the coast. Anyway- saw the Nato report- which of course was followed by a U.N report about the violence in Iraq and had them claiming if it wasn't for them- thec U.N- violence would be much worse in Iraq. I'm sure U.N personell walking around wagging their fingers at insurgents saying "you shouldn't do that' has made a huge difference in Iraq.

Christian news and commentary at: sacredscoop.com ...

[FairOpinion]

"This great Nation and our free society cannot survive another demRats-in-power reign"


Very true.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

What he needs to do is to summarily execute every Taliban immediately at the point of capture.

This would be more humane than what I would do, which would be to douse them in gasoline and set them afire in the middle of the street.

[1forall]

So can anyone tell me the difference between a civilian and a terrorist? There are no uniforms. Weapons are easily dropped / picked up. Women / children can become combatants easily willingly or unwillingly. A 10yr old girl weilding an AK can be just as deadly as a 30yr old bearded man.

Are we sure they were "civilians"? Are we sure they weren't terrorist who ran out of ammo? Or realized some cameras were rolling? Or got a little skeered or cornered? I'm not impressed nor overly concerned with "civilian" deaths in that part of the world. There is too much lying and crying wolf for my heart strings to be pulled at this time.

I think the media should start using quotations when talking about "civilian" deaths instead of quotations around terrorists. Then we'll see how long the war lasts.

[Thombo2]

"Stopping The War On Terror will result in unimaginable carnage..."Good point.And of course once that happens,the msm and libs will blame it on the republicans.We're in a lose lose situation until the msm is exposed for what it really is-a leftist/marxist political apparatus who's goal is to disiminate disinformation in order to divide Americans and of course to turn Iraq into another Viet Nam.

[Challenge]

Why shouldn't the Taliban use innocents as human shields?

My country , Israel, taught them that it pays:

In Gaza

In Lebanon....

What is needed is to realize that the Geneva Convention spoke about regualr armies and NOT terrorists...

Modernize the laws and win this war!

[EagleUSA]

All the terrorist loving organizations are ganging up on NATO for "killing civilians"...
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Yes, and it is always going to be this way. They have learned very well how to use our own value system against us. They have no values for human life, so they win in the arena of human life values...while all along, being the genocidal maniacs.

Sucks, doesn't it ??