Killing Children in Afghanistan

The estimable Angela Keaton crystallized the war in her last post (below). The war becomes difficult for the establishment to talk about when it is presented as it is by the video of injured Iraqi children. They can’t inject their technocratic policy-wonkery, and even nationalistic themes and Exceptionalist rhetoric is grossly misplaced.

Such is the power of video, so I thought I’d post some others from the Afghan war to the same effect. For context, civilian casualties in Afghanistan have seen a sharp rise in 2011.

In a US airstrike in July, 14 civilians were killed, 8 of them children. In May, US soldiers killed a 12 year old Afghan girl in a night raid. In March, nine Afghan boys collecting firewood in eastern Afghanistan were annihilated by US airstrikes. US-supported Afghan militias have recently beat children, hammered nails into the feet of a young boy, and gang raped another 13 year old boy. In February of last year, a US night raid killed a teenage girl and two pregnant women. In September of last year, NATO attack helicopters bombed seven civilians, four of them children. A UN report last year found that almost 350 Afghan children were killed in 2009 alone. 

In another video, from back in 2008, the Guardian covers various incidents of atrocities against Afghanistan civilians by coalition forces. It doesn’t allow embedding, so click the link to see it. Here’s a quote from one of the people interviewed the the video’s corresponding article:

“We were walking, I was holding my grandson’s hand, then there was a loud noise and everything went white. When I opened my eyes, everybody was screaming. I was lying metres from where I had been, I was still holding my grandson’s hand but the rest of him was gone. I looked around and saw pieces of bodies everywhere. I couldn’t make out which part was which.”

And yet all Barack Obama and his minions in Congress can talk about regarding the Afghan war is the extraordinary service of American soldiers, lies about Afghan security, and arbitrary dates which we are misleadingly told will see an American withdrawal. The useless, aimless, lie of a war continues unabated, without any attention paid to children like Grana.

(photo via AFP)

12 thoughts on “Killing Children in Afghanistan”

  1. i am not religious at all, but i sometimes hope that there is a god, and that hell is real, just so that the vicious murdering psychopaths who do this kind of stuff will one day pay a price. "our" "leaders" certainly won't dish out any worldly punishments.

  4. I just finished reading a BBC article detailing how America has the worst child abuse record in the industrialised world.

    So I guess America is addicted to killing and mutilating children no matter whether at home or abroad.

    Damn your country – How many weaker people must you kill to prove you have the biggest, strongest hard-on?

  5. Yes you are right about the children and women that have been seriously injured or killed in your war with America. But who was it that started this war. you say America, they say you. Actually it was both you and America. If you count for history.
    Now to blame America for all of the innocent lives wasted is far from being the truth. America has not been the only ones doing the killing and BBC knows this. They just will not publish the killing (more then the Americans have done) by the Taliban and Al-Qada. This is because the BBC is and has always been anti-American. (Possibly finance by the French)
    No, America does not have the highest or worst child abuse cases. Lets take a better look at the African nations, the Central and South American nations, and many Asian Nations that take their children and make soldiers and prostitutes of the children.
    America has it's problems, but before you go and point hated fingers at them. Remember that your own country is training children for more hatred and killings, and your country also has no problems with slave labor of both adults and children from other poor countries.
    Which brings the question. Why does the BBC not do a story on the Asian prostitution that has grown in Afghanistan? ( I am sure that they can make it the Americans fault)

    1. Well, thanks for your explaination. It remids me of your leaders who would justify, every sort of brutality. It is not America's fault it is Americas Comrporations' fault who are funding these governements. Close your eyes and pretend for one minute being a 13 years old in Afghanistan, losing your parents, your livelyhood and being hurt by the American soldiers. Would still have the same point of view? If you do, then you are …..

  6. US soldiers are worthless murderers and terrorists who deserve to receive capital punishment for murdering the people of Afghanistan on behalf of Zionist bankers and military contractors!

  7. Amercians and nato forces sicken me, they hide behind thier weapons bought from blood money and attack innocent ppl at night after cutting off thier power, water and food sources. What a sick country may allah help thier people overthrow thier sick government ameen.

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  10. "US soldiers are worthless murderers and terrorists who deserve to receive capital punishment for murdering the people of Afghanistan on behalf of Zionist bankers and military contractors!"

    So true….

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