U.S. vows to back off if fighters use Afghan civilians as cover
Story Highlights
The issue of civilian casualties has rankled relations between U.S. and Afghanistan
Commanding general says there's renewed emphasis to avoid civilian casualties
U.S.: Fighting last week in Kandahar province left 37 civilians dead
Afghan officials: Civilian deaths in Kandahar were the result of a U.S. airstrike
COMBAT OUTPOST MALAKASHY, Afghanistan (CNN) -- U.S. forces in Afghanistan will "back off" from firing at insurgents if the fighters are using civilian buildings as cover, the U.S. commander in eastern Afghanistan told CNN.
"I've given direct guidance, and so has my boss to me, that if there's any doubt at all that the enemy is firing from a house or building where there might be women and children, that we'll just back off," Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, the commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division, told CNN's Barbara Starr.
"That potentially is something that we did not do before, but now because of this increased emphasis, we are doing," he said in an interview at an outpost in Afghanistan's Paktika province near the Pakistani border.
Schloesser spoke the same day the U.S. military announced that fighting last week in Kandahar province left 37 civilians dead and another 35 wounded. During the two-day battle in Kandahar's Shah Wali Kott district, insurgents fired from some villagers' houses, using them as cover, villagers told the U.S. military.
Afghan officials said the civilian deaths in Kandahar were the result of a U.S. airstrike. But a joint U.S.-Afghan investigation concluded that the civilians died during a battle that was sparked when insurgents ambushed an Afghan-coalition patrol.
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/09/afghan.civilians/index.html
Pages
▼
Sunday, November 9, 2008
U.S. vows to back off if fighters use Afghan civilians as cover
This is a good idea because one of the worst things the troops have to recover from is when civilians die. It was harder on them during Vietnam just as it is harder in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a noble thing to do but when the Afghan fighters decide that their own people don't matter and they hide behind them, it is dangerous for the troops. What is the right answer when both sides don't play fair? The conscience of the troops will not allow them to have such disregard for the lives of civilians. It eats away at them. Still they cannot be targeted because they will not engage when civilians are near. Can't someone in the military come up with a better plan and use their brains when these situations come up? What do police officers do when thugs take hostages? What about a SWAT type of attitude for the military?
To whom it may concern,
ReplyDeleteI work for Maj. Gen. Schloesser, 101st Airborne Division and Combined Joint Task Force 101 commander here in Afghanistan. The commanding general feels very strongly about the connotation of the phrase “back off” and has authorized me to set the record straight on his behalf.
CNN did some great reporting when they were here with us last week, but the quote “back off” doesn’t mean what a lot of people think it means. I can’t discuss any of our specific tactics, techniques and procedures, but rest assured this doesn’t mean that we put down our weapons, give up the fight, let the bad guys go, call it a day, head back to base, etc. It means that we assess the situation and try to come up with the most effective way to accomplish each given objective without endangering non-combatants.
Also, the “new” guidance on minimizing civilian casualties referenced in the story actually came out this summer, it isn’t that new at all.
Time and again our enemies here have put noncombatants in harm’s way with the goal of a propaganda victory if the noncombatants are harmed. This is a dishonorable, despicable practice.
Please trust me when I say we are getting after the enemy here more than ever, and we are also doing everything we can to prevent civilian casualties. Our mission is to separate the enemy from the people and support the government as they move ahead with the development of this country.
For more info on our operations (including almost daily releases on our operational results), please check out www.cjtf101.com! The site gives a good view of the full spectrum of operations we are engaged in here.
Thanks for taking the time to hear our side of the story
1LT Nathan Perry
CJTF-101 Public Affairs Office
1LT Nathan Perry, thank you very much for answering some of the concerns I have. It is horrible that civilians, their own people, are not taken into consideration in Afghanistan and it weighs heavy on the hearts of the men and women in our military trying to secure Afghanistan when civilians are killed. I work with veterans dealing with PTSD and their families. When there were civilian casualties in Vietnam, the wound of PTSD took a firmer hold on them. They can make some sense out of fighting the enemy but when so many innocents are killed in the process it's hard to overcome.
ReplyDeleteI realize you are still serving and thank you very much. Still, I want to wish you Happy Veteran's Day. You are all in my thoughts and prayers, as well as in my heart.