From
Today's NYTimes
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, May 22 -- American planes in pursuit of Taliban fighters bombed a village in southern Afghanistan and killed 16 civilians and wounded 15 more, among them women and children, the local governor and villagers said today. The United States-led coalition said it had conducted a "successful operation" in the area and killed at least 20 Taliban fighters in the bombing Sunday night and may have killed another 60.
...Another farmer, Azizullah, 30, said he had lost three members of his family. "I was at home when the Taliban came to our village last night. After some time U.S. planes came and bombed the Taliban and they bombed us too," he said.
He described coming out in the morning to go to the hospital and seeing dozens of dead Taliban fighters on the ground, killed in the aerial bombardment. Sixteen villagers were also killed and 15 wounded, he and other villagers said. Doctors confirmed that the wounded -- including an eight-month old baby -- lay in the hospital.
Another villager, Taj Mohammed, said two of his brothers were killed, and more members of his family wounded. He said when the bombing started, the Taliban were desperately trying to take shelter from the bombing and were not even attempting to fight.
We needn't rehash the hatchet as opposed to scalpel operations used when it comes to US and Coalition bombings here AND in Iraq. The point is that the military is calling this a "successful mission," and it is not. The ratio of enemy to civilian casualties in this case is 5 to 4: four civilians for every five Taliban.
And what is the ratio of enemy to civilian thusfar in Iraq?
Not to mention that the "not even attempting to fight" Taliban might have been taken peaceably.
I'm ill today, and devoid of the ability to be lucid. Please have at this, friends. Thinking about it is making me feel more ill.