Here we go again with airstrikes

11/8/2014

We need airstrikes and they need to be "carefully targeted", said the retired general on the radio this morning.
    Why "carefully targeted"?
    On 4th May 2009, the US Air Force carried out the Granai airstrike, in which around 100 Afghan civilians were killed. “Apologising” afterwards, the USAF explained that “the inability to discern the presence of civilians and avoid and/or minimize accompanying collateral damage resulted in the unintended consequence of civilian casualties.”
    So you see, carelessly targeted airstrikes just won't do.
    Nor do airstrikes where you can't "discern" the civilians in the target area.
    On 4th September 2009, ninety civilians were killed in the Kunduz airstrike.
    Oops!
    On 9th October 2009, President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
    The citation told us that Obama had “captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future.”
    Obama accepted the award. “I believe that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds,” he said in his acceptance lecture. “All responsible nations must embrace the role that militaries with a clear mandate can play to keep the peace.”
    Embrace airstrikes responsibly, you civilians.
    And hope for a better future.

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