‘Collateral damage’ – a term popularized by the US military during the Vietnam War. In short it is the unintentional damage caused during an intentional military operation.
Today in Afghanistan ‘collateral damage’ took the lives of 22 civilians, among them women and children. The civilians were complying with evacuation orders given them by US troops when the trucks transporting them were destroyed by air strikes.
As is always the case, the US military conceded that the operation did occur, but that there had been no report of civilian casualties. Officials claim that the vehicles struck were transporting militants.
In a few weeks, maybe a month, coalition forces in Afghanistan will most likely issue the weakest of statements admitting that innocent people were killed, as is commonly the case. By then, who will care? They’re just 22 more people in a far distant land that most of us rarely consider on a daily basis. Frankly, when most think about Afghanistan all that comes to mind is al-Qaeda, 9/11, and an overwhelming sense for revenge.
I suppose if vengeance produces collateral damage then what does it really matter? The United States, and others, have been in Afghanistan for 7 years and the enemy that they face has only grown in strength, the man that they’ve been trying to kill or capture has eluded them for almost a decade, and in the process a lot of innocent people have been killed – more so than on 9/11.
Some in trucks, some not.
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Senseless and tragic. And you’re right, in a few weeks when they issue that statement, who will really care.
Sad.
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The war is no longer about specific objectives so much as it is a war of pride. The US see’s al-Qaeda as terrorists that need to be erradicated and the al-Qaeda see’s the US as an invader that needs to be stopped. . The war that ensues, if you could even call this petty pride match in the middle east so, is not going to end until one side is utterly and completely destroyed. Let’s face it, the US is never going to leave the middle east and so long as al-Qaeda exists they will never cease to rally people under their ideals to keep on fighting for their own beliefs. It’s an all out grudge match. Now let’s look at matters a litle bit differently, if an innocent is killed on the street by rivaling gangs in a slug fest it is considered murder whether it’s intentional or not. It’s sad when you realize that just because matters are escalated that the same actions are ignored and tucked away. A loss of life is a loss of life. But as in your previous entry, who’s going to persecute the persecuter?
The simple answer to that is, no one.
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On one side I feel sorry for those people who lost their lives but on the other you have to wonder why they are still living in a military occupied area where this sort of violence and killing takes place. Common sense would tell you if a foreign country’s military occupied my city I’d leave immediately! Then the argument is that they have nowhere to go or they shouldn’t have to leave. Bullshit you want to live or are you on a death wish? The cowards that the US are seeking hide amongst women and children solely for the reason that its harder to capture them. Should we be in Afghanistan? It’s hard to say. It’s a double edge sword. I don’t like war, I don’t condone it and I would never sign up for that shit. On the other hand I think many other people in other countries will stop at nothing to kill and destroy anything associated with the US because they are envious of our freedoms and culture and hate the religions we practice. Therefore if we didn’t defend ourselves against other countries what would happen? American civilians would be the collateral damage. Happy Fourth of July!
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Quoting redbaron:
You just explained why these people won’t leave. This war is not about territory, it’s about killing one another. Ideally, if everyone left a city filled with insurgents and fighting you can rest assured that the insurgents would leave considering the US would bomb the hell out of the city knowing their would be no collateral damage of the human kinda, aside of course their enemies. So long as their are insurgents using innocents as shields, there’s really no safe place to be.
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Happy Independence day to my fellow US citizens, just no that innocent people that has nothing to with terrorism are being killed for the illusion that we are safe to shoot off fireworks(even at each other)
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Quoting redbaron:
This sounds dangerously close to blaming the victims for their own deaths because of where they happen to live. By that logic, every civilian killed in Afghanistan (or Iraq for that matter) is a case of “oh well, too bad, you should have known better than to hang around here.” This war came to THEM; my mind is having a seriously difficult time comprehending how they can be faulted in any way here.
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Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity!!
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It is only a matter of time before the US has to pull out from public pressure, an (amazingly enough) overstretched military, or more probably from intensifying insurgency.
The Soviets also poured huge amounts of public resources into obliterating Afghan resistance, all to no avail. Their puppet government was, much like today’s, steeped in self-interests and deeply unpopular (athiest-communists in a deeply traditional and religious country). The US occupation is seen by many as a Christian effort and is also notoriously self-interested. The religious nature of the conflict, making it much more dangerous than many suppose, has been downplayed by many, in my opinion. NATO even had the audacity to ask Russia for support one time, as I think you posted. Historical understanding is clearly not a forté of the occupation.
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Quoting redbaron:
i can’t believe these comments are actually presented seriously.
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Dito.
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It is a nice suggestion - leave your home or suffer the consequence. Afghan people did not ask for foreign forces to be there. They did not ask for the “democracy” to be brought to them. I am sure that they certainly did not expect that when they would comply with all the demands of foreign powers and actually leave their homes to supposedly be safe they will actually be written off as collateral damage.
Think about this, Redbaron, during WWII many people had a choice to evacuate before German troops entered their towns but they did not want to leave their family houses, their land, behind, to be overtaken by foreign, enemy, power. They wanted to stay to at least be a witness to what was happening.
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Well spoken & touching.
especially “By than who will care?”
:(
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The United States government needs to just give it up already. Sorry, but they lost big time. For anyone now to just think of 9/11, Al-Qeada or revenge when hearing about Afghanistan is just plain ignorance on their behalf. It’s sad to think that that’s the world we live in today, but it’s reality. What ever happened to it’s a small world after all? Oh yeah, WAR.
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Just out of curiosity, Mr. Good
“Frankly, when most think about Afghanistan all that comes to mind is al-Qaeda, 9/11, and an overwhelming sense for revenge”
Who are the “most” and how do you know what comes to their mind?
It seems to me that, at the moment not many even stop to think about Iraq or Afghanistan anymore.
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someone in the FSCC fucked up.
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Sorry, the first paragraph is supposed to be a quote from redbaron - I’ll figure it out for next time.
John
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quoting good sir Good: Frankly, when most think about Afghanistan all that comes to mind is al-Qaeda, 9/11, and an overwhelming sense for revenge.
I personally don’t know how you, Matt, can claim to know what most think about this situation. It personally pains me knowing all of these senseless loss of lives going on at the hands of North Americans/Britons, so I am definitely not part of the “most” you speak of. And I personally know many people that think the same way as me.
Maybe I’m just a naive optimist, but I prefer to think that many others like me (and you) exist in the world than you assume.
And redbaron, I’m sorry, but that statement is just, to use a word I rarely use being as politically incorrect as it is, is retarded. What’s your next argument? That women who wear short skirts deserve to be raped? Come on, buddy, get some sense.
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Quoting vika:
“”
Once again vika, you ask a good question.
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always listening: so i suppose many of the refugees from the northern province moving in to iran are on paid holiday?
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OK so I discussed this issue with my friends and they all think I’m a moron also and have something seriously wrong with my brain. I give you all permission bitch slap me. I’m just trying to grasp why someone could be so attached to their house, land and material possessions they would risk their families life for it, regardless of how rich or poor they are or if the situation they were forced into is justified or not. You can always replace your house not your life. I’m a wuss I’ll admit it, and common sense would tell me if I saw tanks and men with guns rolling down my street and their was non-stop bombing and fire fights for years I’d get the fuck out of Dodge. And ‘grimm’ I agree with your comment. Just a completely f’d up situation that I wouldn’t stick around to witness.
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Quoting Patrick Pitt:
You know, the whole civilian population should have just taken the opportunity of war for an extended vacay somewhere; I hear Prague is nice. Or, even better, why didn’t they all just move en masse to the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave itself?
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Quoting KET:
No, Iran is excellent, how much do you get to “move in” ? I’d give up my homeland in a heartbeat…