http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114976§ionid=351020403

The Afghan government says foreign troops have dragged 10 civilians from their homes and shot them dead in the open over the weekend.

A Wednesday statement issued by the office of President Hamid Karzai said that international forces carried out the attack in the eastern province of Kunar on Saturday. Eight of the victims were schoolchildren.

Military offensives in Kunar, which borders Pakistan, are being led by US Special Forces.

The killings sparked a public outcry resulting in massive demonstrations.

In the eastern province of Nangarhar, hundreds of university students staged a protest, chanting "death to Obama" and "death to foreign forces." The demonstrators also torched a US flag and an effigy of US President Barack Obama.

Similar rallies took place in the capital, Kabul. The protesters called on the Afghan government to put an end to unilateral operations by western troops.

Figures released by the United Nations indicate a 10 percent rise in the civilian death toll from the US-led war in Afghanistan with a good share of fatalities caused by foreign forces.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/afghanistan.deaths/index.html#cnnSTCText

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan said Monday they are investigating reports that 10 Afghan civilians, including eight students, were killed Saturday in a coalition operation in the Narang district of Kunar province.

cripes wrote:
I'm totally with you on this one, Monk. I'm embarrassed by the actions of my country.

cripes wrote:
I like to think we're breeding our way out in the long run. In the mean time I can only hope young men and women refuse to serve.

What I do as an individual is talk about it, plus I've raised 5 people who do nothing blindly and question authority as a rule (and check with me before acting ).

JrnymnX wrote:
Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 28. The presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations.

Don't you just hate legalese?
In layman's terms: using human shields - bad.

If you want to question the motives or wisdom of international forces being in Afghanistan in the first place, by all means have at it. But to accuse them of wrong doing when it is the taliban that is using human shields... your criticism is misdirected. The pointy end of the spear is meant to cut.

JrnymnX wrote:


Of course they are separate issues. The wealthy decide who they want to attack and the poor are sent to fight. You shouldn't fault a soldier for fighting to save their life even if you disagree with the reasons the wealthy men sent them over there to fight for.