Civilian Casualties

Standing Up for All the Fallen

Christopher Holshek | Posted 05.25.2012

Read More: Iraq War, Usaid, Civil War, Firefighters, Memorial Day, Police, National Security, War Casualties, Veterans Day, National Service, 9/11, Civilian Casualties, Memorial Day Weekend, World War II, State Department, Peace Corps, Afghanistan War, Veterans, US Military, Armed Forces, Impact News
Christopher Holshek

We should respect each other's commitment to community and country. There is no reason why we cannot stand up for all the fallen, so that Memorial Day will honor all those who gave their lives in the service of their neighbors as well as their nation.

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ISAF Apologizes For Afghan Civilian Airstrike Casualties

Posted 05.11.2012

Read More: Video, Afghanistan Afghanistan War, Afghanistan, Afghanistan War Blog, Civilian Casualties, Afghanistan Civilians, Afghanistan Civilian Casualties, World News

The International Security Assistance Force, NATO's security mission in Afghanistan, and U.S. Forces Afghanistan released a statement on Friday expres...

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In Pakistan, Death Is Only One of the Civilian Costs of Drone Strikes

Michael Kugelman | Posted 05.02.2012

Read More: Civilian Casualties, Drones, Pakistan, Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden Anniversary, Osama Bin Laden, World News
Michael Kugelman

Imagine the effect this has on psyches, and particularly on young ones already scarred by war and displacement. Ironically, Washington points to these tactics as proof of the efficacy of drone strikes.

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Portrait Of Afghan Killing Suspect Emerges

AP | GENE JOHNSON | Posted 05.18.2012

Read More: Afghanistan War, Robert Bales, Afghan Shooting, Afghanistan, Civilian Casualties, Robert Bales Afghanistan, World News

SEATTLE — With formal charges looming against his client within days, the lawyer for an Army sergeant suspected in the horrific nighttime slaugh...

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In Afghanistan, the Dam Breaks

Robert Greenwald and Derrick Crowe | Posted 05.16.2012

Read More: Civilian Deaths, Rethink Afghanistan, Civilian Casualties, Afghanistan War, Brave New Founation, Afghanistan, Robert Greenwald, War in Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency, Koran Burnings, World News
Robert Greenwald and Derrick Crowe

The war for hearts and minds is over. It's lost in Afghanistan, and it's lost at home. The president and Congress should do us all a favor and stop letting people get killed for it, and get our people out of there.

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Help Arrives for Afghan Children Freezing to Death

Dorian de Wind | Posted 04.15.2012

Read More: Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan Refugees, Charitable Organizations, u.s. Military Afghanistan, Civilian Casualties, United Nations, Afghanistan War, World News
Dorian de Wind

This past Saturday, American troops delivered 1,000 blankets for the 6,000 refugees in the Kabul Charahi Qambar camp -- the same camp where several children have already died from the cold.

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No Justice for Haditha Massacre

Marjorie Cohn | Posted 04.03.2012

Read More: War Crimes, Civilian Casualties, Iraq, Marine Haditha Case, Frank Wuterich, Haditha Massacre, World News
Marjorie Cohn

What was the Haditha Massacre? On 11/19/2005, U.S. Marines from Kilo Company, Third Battalion, First Marine Division killed 24 unarmed civilians in Haditha, Iraq, execution-style, in a three to five hour rampage.

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In Libya, a Legacy up for Debate

Sarah Holewinski | Posted 03.27.2012

Read More: United Nations Security Council, Civilian Casualties, Libya, Nato, Muammar El-Qaddafi, United Nations, World News
Sarah Holewinski

Civilian harm should never be ignored, but neither should it be politicized in a way that diverts attention from real recognition.

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NYC 'Terror' Suspect Out-Geneva's Manhattan DA

Matthis Chiroux | Posted 01.23.2012

Read More: Geneva Conventions, Iraq War, Bagram, Detention, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, Jose Pimentel, Civilian Casualties, New York, Abu Ghraib, Jose Pimentel Entrapment, Jose Pimentel Arrested, Jose Pimentel Bomb, Politics News
Matthis Chiroux

And as long as the U.S. remains "at war" either literally or rhetorically, either directly or by proxy, we will continue to present our infrastructure as legitimate targets to our adversaries. If we want to be safe, we have to end the wars!

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You're a Widow in Libya... Now What?

Sarah Holewinski | Posted 12.10.2011

Read More: Libya, Amends, Nato, Muammar El-Qaddafi, Misrata, War, Civilian Casualties, Benghazi, Sirte, Compensation, Collateral Damage, Making Amends, World News
Sarah Holewinski

Calls for justice after war are made compelling by horrendous stories of wrongdoing and resulting human suffering. But left out are people considered "collateral damage."

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Night Raids: For Afghan Civilians, the Costs May Outweigh the Benefits

Erica Gaston | Posted 11.19.2011

Read More: Nato, President Obama, Petraeus, National Security, Detention, Civilian Casualties, Isaf, Strategic Partnership, Afghanistan, Night Raids, Afghan Government, Karzai, Troop Withdrawals, Detainees, Torture, World News
Erica Gaston

While individual night raids are unquestionably effective at getting insurgent leaders, the larger costs of night raids may outweigh the benefits.

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The Unsung Heroes: Civilians in the Crossfire

Kerry C. Kachejian | Posted 09.17.2011

Read More: Civilian Casualties, Civilians, U.S. Military, Veterans, Impact News
Kerry C. Kachejian

Who are these relatively unknown civilians? What kind of support do they provide to the military? And why would they risk life and limb to go into a combat zone?

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Afghan Civilian Deaths Up 15 Percent: U.N.

AP | DEB RIECHMANN | Posted 09.13.2011

Read More: Afghan War, United Nations, Civilian Casualties, Afghanistan, Taliban, Un, Afghanistan War, Afghanistan Civilian Deaths, World News

KABUL, Afghanistan — The number of Afghan civilians killed in war-related violence rose 15 percent in the first half of this year, according to ...

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War Without Humans

Barbara Ehrenreich | Posted 09.10.2011

Read More: Welfare, Military, War, 9/11, New York Times, Civilian Casualties, US Foreign Policy, Iraq, Drones, Politics News
Barbara Ehrenreich

Many national leaders are beginning to acknowledge that conventional militaries are becoming almost ludicrously anachronistic. The sluggishness of the mass, labor-intensive military has become a constant source of frustration.

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NATO Says Gaddafi Forces Using Children, Mosques As Shields

AP | By ADAM SCHRECK and DON MELVIN | Posted 08.18.2011

Read More: Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, Gadhafi Protests, Nato, Libya War, Civilian Casualties, Moammar Gadhafi, Human Shields, Tripoli, Libya Protests, World News

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS -- NATO hit back against Muammar Gaddafi's defiance Saturday, saying the Libyan leader is "brutally attacking" his people and usi...

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Afghan President Says He Will No Longer Allow NATO Airstrikes On Houses

AP | HEIDI VOGT and RAHIM FAIEZ | Posted 07.31.2011

Read More: Hamid Karzai, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Nato, David Petraeus, Civilian Casualties, Nato Airstrikes, Afghanistan War, World News

KABUL, Afghanistan — Angered by civilian casualties, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday he will no longer allow NATO airstrikes on house...

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Driving Afghanistan: The Winding Road to an Afghan Takeover

Sarah Holewinski | Posted 07.16.2011

Read More: Afghan National Security Forces, Civilian Casualties, Afghanistan, Afghanistan War, US Forces Afghanistan, US Forces in Afghanistan, Afghanistan Civilian Casulaties, Civilian Casualties Afghanistan, World News
Sarah Holewinski

Afghan National Security Forces will assume responsibility for the security of their own country by 2014. As a moving vehicle ramping up to a high speed, it's missing some of the controls it needs to protect its own population.

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How U.S. Intelligence Failures Led To Civilian Casualties In Afghanistan

Los Angeles Times | Posted 06.10.2011

Read More: Civilian Deaths, Civilian Casualties, Afghanistan, u.s. Intelligence Afghanistan, Afghanistan Predator Drones, Predator Drones, Afghanistan Civilian Deaths, World News

At 6:22 a.m., the drone pilot radioed an update: "All ... are finishing up praying and rallying up near all three vehicles at this time." The camera ...

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The Fog of "Humanitarian War" in Libya Threatens Civilians

Jon Rainwater | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: No-Fly-Zone, Civilian Casualties, Libya, Human Rights, Libya No Fly Zone, Middle East, War, World News
Jon Rainwater

I hope we can avoid a tired debate over whether Libya is Viet Nam or Iraq or Bosnia. Libya is Libya. But that doesn't mean we escape the ironclad fact that we learn from history or risk repeating it.

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David Wood

At 20,000 Feet And 500 Knots, Allied Pilots Struggle to Tell Gaddafi's Fighters From Civilians

HuffingtonPost.com | David Wood | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Gaddafi, Libya, Libya Civilians, Libya Airstrikes, Libya No Fly Zone, Muammar Gaddafi, Libya Civilian Casualties, Civilian Casualties, No Fly Zone, Air Strikes, Libya Air War, World News

WASHINGTON -- The new phase of the war in Libya, a kind of armed aerial peacekeeping, puts a heavy responsibility on U.S. and allied air crews whose s...

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Petraeus, McCain Continue Afghanistan War Spin, But No One Buys It (Nor Should They)

Derrick Crowe | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Insurgency, Petraeus, Rethink Afghanistan, Civilian Casualties, Propaganda, Taliban, Spin, Afghanistan, Congress, Mccain, Counterinsurgency, Brave New Foundation, World News
Derrick Crowe

General Petraeus and McCain can try to spin the situation in Afghanistan all they want, but the fact is that their counterinsurgency gamble failed, and the American people want our troops out, pronto.

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Petraeus Is Focusing on the Wrong Body Count in Afghanistan

Michael Hughes | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Nato, Coin, Civilian Casualties, War, Isaf, United Nations, David Petraeus, Petraeus, Taliban, Insurgents, Afghanistan, General Petraeus, Counterinsurgency, World News
Michael Hughes

Instead of focusing on metrics that matter, U.S. officials have decided to trumpet enemy body count. Apparently, the number of dead insurgents, not civilians, is now the barometer for determining the campaign's efficacy.

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Pentagon Assertions of "Progress" In Afghanistan Are a Bad Joke

Derrick Crowe | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Targeted Killings, Civilian Deaths, Gates, Petraeus, Pentagon, Coin, Propaganda, Obama, Troop Increase, Rethink Afghanistan, Robert Gates, Civilian Casualties, Escalation, Spin, Taliban, Insurgents, Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency, Politics News
Derrick Crowe

The latest Petraeus/Gates media tour is under way in preparation for the general's testimony to Congress next week, and they're trotting out the same, tired spin they've been using since McChrystal was replaced in disgrace last year.

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"No-Fly Zone"? Senator Kerry, the UN Charter Is Supreme Law

Robert Naiman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Libya, Negotiations, John McCain, Human Rights Watch, John Kerry, United Nations, Russia, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Civilian Casualties, UN Security Council, China, Foreign Policy, World News
Robert Naiman

The imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya must be approved by the UN Security Council. Otherwise, it will violate the UN Charter -- and the U.S. Constitution, which states that our treaty obligations are "the supreme law of the land."

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Hushing Up Civilian Casualties Investigations in Afghanistan

Erica Gaston | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Obama Afghanistan, Airstrikes, Afghanistan, War Casualties, Afghanistan Casualties, David Petraeus, President Obama, Civilian Casualties, Al Jazeera, General Petraeus, Afghanistan War, World News
Erica Gaston

The detention of journalists for trying to provide an independent voice on security incidents in Afghanistan undermines Western governments' otherwise positive efforts to support free media there in the past 10 years.

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