Afghans: US airstrikes kill 14 workers

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S.-led coalition troops killed 14 road construction workers in airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan after receiving faulty intelligence, Afghan officials said Wednesday.

The coalition said only that it was looking into the incident.

The engineers and laborers had been building a road for the U.S. military in mountainous Nuristan province, and were sleeping in two tents in the remote area when they were killed Monday night, said Sayed Noorullah Jalili, director of the Kabul-based road construction company Amerifa. There were no survivors, he said.

"All of our poor workers have been killed," Jalili said. "I don't think the Americans were targeting our people. I'm sure it's the enemy of the Afghans who gave the Americans this wrong information."



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071128/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan

[bemildred]

1. More "precision bombing" I guess. nt

[gratuitous]

5. When you conduct your aggression by remote control

It's bound to get someone's hair mussed. We don't have enough troops to do actual patrols, there aren't any replacements, and we have to keep the ones who are there busy somehow. So "precision" airstrikes on rumored targets who can't be positively identified beforehand will happen and keep happening.

Just more of that "hearts and minds" work the military is so good at, I suppose.

[Nihil]

2. "Left hand, may I introduce you to right hand?"

> The engineers and laborers had been building a road for the U.S. military
> in mountainous Nuristan province

:eyes:

[AlertLurker]

3. I'm sure it's the enemy of the Afghans who gave the Americans this wrong information."

Yup. Americans generally refer tho these criminals as "the top brass," though.

[groovedaddy]

4. Afghans: US airstrikes kill 14 workers - AP

Source: Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S.-led coalition troops killed 14 road construction workers in airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan after receiving faulty intelligence, Afghan officials said Wednesday.

The coalition said it was looking into the incident in Nuristan province, but did not immediately comment. NATO's International Security Assistance Force said it has conducted airstrikes against Taliban fighters in the area, but did not say when.

"ISAF was engaged in Nurgaram and Du Ab (districts), and in those places we used airstrikes against (Taliban)," ISAF spokesman Brig. Gen. Carlos Branco told a news conference. "The situation is not clear at all at this stage. We are carrying out the investigation and trying to get a clear picture."

The engineers and laborers had been building a road for the U.S. military in mountainous Nuristan province, and were sleeping in two tents in the remote area when they were killed Monday night, said Sayed Noorullah Jalili, director of the Kabul-based road construction company Amerifa. There were no survivors, he said.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071128/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan

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More "Bomb now, ask questions later."

[Supersedeas]

6. fact checking before unloading munitions on innocents?