Failed assassination attempt in Pakistan by the Americans

[Taz]

Americans recently bombed a location in Pakistan, close to the Afghanistan border. 17 innocent people were killed and it is alleged that the intended target was an Al Qaeda operative. The story wasn't front page news but did get mentioned on most news services.

Story here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washing...pakistan_x.htm

Now, the thing that I find upsetting is that the American administration has offered no formal apology or compensation for taking the lives of 17 innocent people. They have bombed a foreign country without permission.

Imagine if a large missile were to land in a London suburb and 17 English people were to die just because the Americans thought an Al Qaeda operative was sheltering there? What would Britons do?

Now we have enraged Pakistani's demonstrating against America and chanting "Death to America". Pakistan has been a US ally so far.

The following comment I find most disturbing:

"We have to do what we think is necessary to take out al-Qaeda, particularly the top operatives. This guy has been more visible than Osama bin Laden lately," McCain, a Senate Armed Services Committee member, said on CBS' Face the Nation.

So just how far does 'doing everything necessary' extend to?

[Norky]

Foreigners had been invited to dinner, Pakistani official says



PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) -- At least four foreign terrorists died in the U.S. airstrike purportedly aimed at al-Qaeda's No. 2 man, the provincial government said Tuesday.
A statement by the administration of Bajur, a Pakistan tribal region bordering Afghanistan, also said that 10 to 12 foreign extremists had been invited to dinner at the village hit in Friday's attack.
Pakistani intelligence officials have said Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant, had been invited to a dinner in the targeted village of Damadola to mark an Islamic holiday but did not show up and sent some aides instead.
The statement was the first official confirmation by Pakistani authorities that foreign militants were killed in the attack, which officials have said also killed innocent civilians.
The provincial government did not identify who the foreigners were or who was the target of the missile strike.
"Four or five foreign terrorists have been killed in this missile attack whose dead bodies have been taken away by their companions to hide the real reason of the attack," the statement said, citing the chief official in the Bajur region where Damadola is located.
"It is regrettable that 18 local people lost their lives in the attack, but this fact also cannot be denied, that 10-12 foreign extremists had been invited on a dinner," it said.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

There was also some confusion over the reporting of the attacks, it seems artillery shelling was also involved?

[Koolpc]

I bet you any money that they done it with approval.

[DaBeeeenster]

Americans recently bombed a location in Pakistan, close to the Afghanistan border. 17 innocent people were killed and it is alleged that the intended target was an Al Qaeda operative. The story wasn't front page news but did get mentioned on most news services.

Story here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washing...pakistan_x.htm

Now, the thing that I find upsetting is that the American administration has offered no formal apology or compensation for taking the lives of 17 innocent people. They have bombed a foreign country without permission.

Imagine if a large missile were to land in a London suburb and 17 English people were to die just because the Americans thought an Al Qaeda operative was sheltering there? What would Britons do?

Now we have enraged Pakistani's demonstrating against America and chanting "Death to America". Pakistan has been a US ally so far.

The following comment I find most disturbing:

"We have to do what we think is necessary to take out al-Qaeda, particularly the top operatives. This guy has been more visible than Osama bin Laden lately," McCain, a Senate Armed Services Committee member, said on CBS' Face the Nation.

So just how far does 'doing everything necessary' extend to?

The Americans would never do that. This leads me to the conclusion that they simply dont care about Pakistanis.

[RVF500]

I was sent an article by a friend of mine:

http://usacac.leavenworth.army.mil/C...c05/aylwin.pdf

It gives an insight into the mentality of the US military. Basically they are still hooked on the body count concept of Vietnam. They see the destruction of the enemy as the number one priority and are convinced of the rightness of their cause. That there way is right and everyone else will see it in time. In short, they are geared up for war fighting on a modern battlefield but have no idea on how to deal with things after the conventional warfare has ceased. They view the annihilation of the 'enemy' as the single most important goal to be persued and the stats of how many terrorists killed will somehow be a sop to the poor sods who happen to be under the artillary barrage when it lands.

It's heavy going but very well written.

[Taz]

The key point for me is the lack of compassion for innocent people that are getting caught up in these attacks. What right do Americans have to kill innocent people in another country just to pursue their own ambitions?

[toomanycooks]

Americans recently bombed a location in Pakistan, close to the Afghanistan border. 17 innocent people were killed and it is alleged that the intended target was an Al Qaeda operative. The story wasn't front page news but did get mentioned on most news services.

Story here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washing...pakistan_x.htm

Now, the thing that I find upsetting is that the American administration has offered no formal apology or compensation for taking the lives of 17 innocent people. They have bombed a foreign country without permission.

Imagine if a large missile were to land in a London suburb and 17 English people were to die just because the Americans thought an Al Qaeda operative was sheltering there? What would Britons do?

Now we have enraged Pakistani's demonstrating against America and chanting "Death to America". Pakistan has been a US ally so far.

The following comment I find most disturbing:

"We have to do what we think is necessary to take out al-Qaeda, particularly the top operatives. This guy has been more visible than Osama bin Laden lately," McCain, a Senate Armed Services Committee member, said on CBS' Face the Nation.

So just how far does 'doing everything necessary' extend to?

Kind of sounds like they bombed a country without provocation - doesn't constitute an act of war?

Ah! More hypocricy, excellent...