International

US Rocket Accidentally Kills Afghanistan Civilians

Molly Burns

Sunday, February 14, 2010 - A stray American rocket missed its target and hit a house killing 12 Afghanistan civilians including 5 children, according to military officials. The missiles intended target was a group of Taliban insurgents who had attacked U.S. and Afghan forces, wounding one American and one Afghan. The incident occurred in Marja, Afghanistan, an area of rural villages where the Taliban have had strong control during the ongoing 8-year War in Afghanistan. The deaths occurred on the second day of Operation Moshtarak, an offensive of 15,000 American and British forces aimed at breaking Taliban control in the area and replacing it with the democratic Afghan government. Avoiding civilian deaths has been labeled as an important part of America’s war strategy and in addition to apologizing to President Hamid Karzai for the deaths; American Commander Stanley McChrystal is also suspending the use of the rocket used until an investigation has been conducted.

• Insurgents: Members of an armed rebellion against a recognized authority
  
• The Taliban: Currently a strong revolutionary movement, the Taliban originally governed Afghanistan from 1996 to late 2001. While the Taliban was replaced by the Karzai administration through Operation Enduring Freedom (the official name for the War in Afghanistan) it still has lingering political power at the local level. Much of the fighting right now in places like Marja aims at removing that power.
• War in Afghanistan: The ongoing conflict between US and British forces against the Taliban.
• Hamid Karzai: Current President of Afghanistan
• Argument for: Intense fighting like Operation Moshtarak can be successful at breaking the hold that the Taliban still has over civilians in parts of Afghanistan.
• Argument against: Attack enemy positions so close to villages poses a threat to the citizens that live there.

Additional Reading:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/the_p_word/newsid_10050000/newsid_10057600/10057656.stm

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/15/world/asia/15afghan.html?scp=1&sq=US%20rocket%20kills%2012&st=cse

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/world/asia/13afghan.html