Another example of NATO's revised stories about Afghan attacks

This is just another example of the manner in which official reports involve periodically rewriting history. Of course the rewrites get little notice while the original accounts no doubt remain in many peoples' minds. This is all part of news management in the war on terror. Note that officials will not even reveal who made the raid let alone hold them responsible. It is no doubt special forces or even private contractors. These operations are not held accountable by anyone. However, the taxpayer is responsible for paying the blood money given out to try to make up for their murderous actions. This is from antiwar.com.

Relatives of Civilians Slain in NATO Night Raid Threaten Revenge Attacks
Survivors Reject US "Blood Money"

The survivors of a NATO night raid against a house party in Afghanistan’s Paktia Province remain up in arms about the slaying of several of their family members, and say that they have rejected US “compensation” payments of $2,000 per person killed.

“I don’t want money, I want justice,” noted Haji Sharabuddin, the head of the family. US forces killed five people, including three women, in the raid. One of the men killed was also a key member of local security forces.

The killings have sparked more questions than most of the night raid civilian deaths in Afghanistan, primarily because NATO issued an initial statement claiming they killed “several insurgents” in a firefight and made a “gruesome discovery” of the slain women.

About a month after the raid, NATO was forced to admit that all of the slain people were civilians and that the “firefight” in question didn’t involve any firing from anyone but the NATO forces. The eight “militants” arrested were all released, without charges.

But the real issue at this point is that, other than the “blood money” offered by the US, officials have made no effort to hold anyone responsible for the killings, and officially the US refuses to even identify who was involved in the raid, citing “national and strategic security.”

To Sharabuddin and his family, the thought of his loved ones being added quietly to the growing number of “extrajudicial killings” in the nation is unfathomable. He has suggested that if officials do not do anything to rectify the situation, he and his relatives will launch revenge attacks, up to and including suicide attacks. Though the US did not actually find any militants in their invasion of the home, they may well have created several.

''Abusive" coalition raids stoking anger in Afghanistan: Report

This report confirms the complaints made by Karzai and others. Although most emphais has been upon the air raids as this report points out often there are night raids by ground that ransack homes and cause injuries with no accountability. No doubt special forces carry out such raids and often on the basis of unverified intelligence. These types of action are great for recruiting to the Taliban cause.


'Abusive' coalition raids stoking anger in Afghanistan: report
Last Updated: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 7:18 AM ET
CBC News
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission has issued a scathing report on the use of air strikes and nighttime raids by international forces in the country.
The report, which was released in Kabul on Tuesday, suggests that NATO is undermining its own mission by stoking resentment in the local population.
Air strikes and nighttime searches of civilian homes are the two main causes of resentment and anger among the local population, according to the 55-page report.
"Afghan families experienced their family members killed or injured, their houses or other property destroyed, or homes invaded at night without any perceived justification or legal authorization," the report says.
"They often did not know who perpetrated the acts against the family or why.… To their knowledge and perception, those who perpetrated the acts were never punished, nor prevented from repeating them."
The report characterizes incursions into homes as violent break-ins that reportedly include "abusive behaviour" and cultural insensitivity, particularly toward women.
The document acknowledges that it is difficult to verify the truthfulness of individual reports of home incursions but the number of reported instances suggests the night raids occur regularly.
'No accountability' for raids: report
The report suggests international forces often rely on unreliable sources or faulty intelligence when launching the incursions into homes, and there is little public accountability for the raids, which also appears to increase local anger.
There is a lack of co-ordination between coalition forces, foreign soldiers and local authorities, the report says.
"Ordinary people believe that there is no accountability or justice in respect of these violations, regardless of who [has] committed [them]. The overall picture is that … continuing support for Afghan government and international military has been eroded as … consequences of the not carefully planned night raids," the report says.
Canadian military officials at Kandahar Airfield and NATO officials in Kabul were not immediately available to comment.
Monthly tracking information from the United Nations' human rights unit shows air strikes have been responsible for 25 per cent of all civilian deaths in Afghanistan this year. Coalition forces caused the majority of those civilian casualties.
The report said that the lack of recognition of the victims, apology or compensation has also caused anger and resentment in the local community.
"Ignoring the damage to civilians and lack of transparent and public investigations have contributed to the picture that the international forces are not interested and concerned about their activities causing damage to ordinary people," the document states.
The commission, which is funded by the countries involved in the NATO mission in Afghanistan, made a deal with Canada last year to monitor the condition of all detainees seized by the Canadian military and handed over to Afghan officials.
To compile the report, investigators from the commission spent three weeks gathering 74 testimonies from witnesses, military personnel, local authorities and government officials. The commission also analyzed information from its regular reporting and incident monitoring, and scoured media reports and investigations by other human rights organizations.With files from the Associated Press