And we know this was accidental because . . . ? The US very definitely deliberately attacked journalists (especially al Jazeera) in Baghdad. And the US has ‘accidentally’ attacked journalists elsewhere.
If we use the standards of justice Barack Obama and George W. Bush, then American forces are _guilty_ until killed and _then_ proved innocent (if ever).
“The US very definitely deliberately attacked journalists (especially al Jazeera) in Baghdad. And the US has ‘accidentally’ attacked journalists elsewhere.”
Could you please cite the source for your statement that the US deliberately attacked journalists in Baghdad? And please cite where the US has deliberately (as implied in “accidentally”) attacked journalists elsewhere.
There are quite a good number of links and articles that comes up on a simple search on that Baghdad attack on Al Jazeera by US military, which was after the Kabul attack, which too was suspect and thought to have been intentional targeting. These allegations were not raised just by Al Jazeera.
However, this bombing was clearly an accident, but highlighted the high likelihood of many wrong targets and casualties.
Everything you cite, SAF, “allegations,” “suspect,” “thought to have been intentional targetings,” drives home my point that there is absolutely no reason to assume, as the poster of the comment has, that “The US very definitely deliberately attacked journalists (especially al Jazeera) in Baghdad. And the US has ‘accidentally’ attacked journalists elsewhere.” There is no evidence upon which to base such a categorical accusation.
Oops. Sorry. A tragedy, deeply regret, make every effort, best equipment, best in the world, investigating, band plays on, yadda yadda, yadda yadda. But worth it. Definitely.
Please note: At 00:09, the reporter identifies the aircraft as ‘F-14s’ (if I ‘get’ the dialect correct). The USAF has never operated these aircraft, only the US Navy (and the Iranis).* It could be that the USAF has been involved in some ‘friendly fire’ incidents** but this is not one of them (if the reporting is accurate).
At any rate, this BBC film shows how perilous war zones can be, especially in the early parts of the conflicts when nerves are on edge and communication is poor. Always hoping for the best – optimism – is also not something that is recommended; as a combat theatre is always fluid, expecting the worst – pessimism – is what keeps people alive. Even the ‘spooks’ know this: ‘ “It’s incredibly regrettable, the loss of life, but I have never heard of anything as unprofessional. There’s an old infantry rule: Don’t bunch up.” ‘***
I remember this BBC report when it happened. Jon Simpson’s crew were and still are amazing.
BBC have been airing great programs on the Iraq invasion anniversary, such as the British father trying to find out whether his killed son’s military contributions were for worth something or the case of birth defects crisis of Iraqi babies due to bombs and ammunitions used by the US. Just so much tragedy which unfortunately no one will be held accountable for. Not surprising there’s little mention in US media.
Shock and Awe.
This is a slightly misleading headline, as the incident seems rather to be one where the US attacked the small Kurdish force here (Kirkuk) and there happened to be journalists present. Very different from the deliberate murder of journalists in the hotel in Baghdad, and also not an incident in which a news crew was (supposedly) mistaken for enemy forces.
I would say the lesson is that the US shows utter contempt to its military allies and that shows us the concern they have for civilians.
Interestingly, the above poster who tries to excuse this as a “fog of war” mistake has provided a link to a completely different story, of a British soldier in Basra killed by friendly fire.
“Very different from the deliberate murder of journalists in the hotel in Baghdad”
Careful with your verbiage here. That US forces deliberately fired on the Palestine Hotel is beyond doubt. To then jump to the conclusion that the intent was “the deliberate murder of journalists” is a leap into the dark. There have been varying accounts, from fire was coming from the hotel, to a photographer on the balcony appeared to US forces to be a “spotter” directing fire on the unit. That a huge mistake was made is undeniable. To state categorically that it was the deliberate murder of journalists “qua” journalists is simply to satisfy a preconceived opinion and justify one’s own narrative.
And we know this was accidental because . . . ? The US very definitely deliberately attacked journalists (especially al Jazeera) in Baghdad. And the US has ‘accidentally’ attacked journalists elsewhere.
If we use the standards of justice Barack Obama and George W. Bush, then American forces are _guilty_ until killed and _then_ proved innocent (if ever).
“The US very definitely deliberately attacked journalists (especially al Jazeera) in Baghdad. And the US has ‘accidentally’ attacked journalists elsewhere.”
Could you please cite the source for your statement that the US deliberately attacked journalists in Baghdad? And please cite where the US has deliberately (as implied in “accidentally”) attacked journalists elsewhere.
There are quite a good number of links and articles that comes up on a simple search on that Baghdad attack on Al Jazeera by US military, which was after the Kabul attack, which too was suspect and thought to have been intentional targeting. These allegations were not raised just by Al Jazeera.
However, this bombing was clearly an accident, but highlighted the high likelihood of many wrong targets and casualties.
link to guardian.co.uk
link to cnn.com
link to guardian.co.uk
link to commondreams.org
link to dailymail.co.uk
link to en.wikipedia.org
Everything you cite, SAF, “allegations,” “suspect,” “thought to have been intentional targetings,” drives home my point that there is absolutely no reason to assume, as the poster of the comment has, that “The US very definitely deliberately attacked journalists (especially al Jazeera) in Baghdad. And the US has ‘accidentally’ attacked journalists elsewhere.” There is no evidence upon which to base such a categorical accusation.
Oops. Sorry. A tragedy, deeply regret, make every effort, best equipment, best in the world, investigating, band plays on, yadda yadda, yadda yadda. But worth it. Definitely.
Please note: At 00:09, the reporter identifies the aircraft as ‘F-14s’ (if I ‘get’ the dialect correct). The USAF has never operated these aircraft, only the US Navy (and the Iranis).* It could be that the USAF has been involved in some ‘friendly fire’ incidents** but this is not one of them (if the reporting is accurate).
At any rate, this BBC film shows how perilous war zones can be, especially in the early parts of the conflicts when nerves are on edge and communication is poor. Always hoping for the best – optimism – is also not something that is recommended; as a combat theatre is always fluid, expecting the worst – pessimism – is what keeps people alive. Even the ‘spooks’ know this: ‘ “It’s incredibly regrettable, the loss of life, but I have never heard of anything as unprofessional. There’s an old infantry rule: Don’t bunch up.” ‘***
* link to en.wikipedia.org
** link to militarycity.com
*** link to en.wikipedia.org
“American Own Goal”
I remember this BBC report when it happened. Jon Simpson’s crew were and still are amazing.
BBC have been airing great programs on the Iraq invasion anniversary, such as the British father trying to find out whether his killed son’s military contributions were for worth something or the case of birth defects crisis of Iraqi babies due to bombs and ammunitions used by the US. Just so much tragedy which unfortunately no one will be held accountable for. Not surprising there’s little mention in US media.
Shock and Awe.
This is a slightly misleading headline, as the incident seems rather to be one where the US attacked the small Kurdish force here (Kirkuk) and there happened to be journalists present. Very different from the deliberate murder of journalists in the hotel in Baghdad, and also not an incident in which a news crew was (supposedly) mistaken for enemy forces.
I would say the lesson is that the US shows utter contempt to its military allies and that shows us the concern they have for civilians.
Interestingly, the above poster who tries to excuse this as a “fog of war” mistake has provided a link to a completely different story, of a British soldier in Basra killed by friendly fire.
“Very different from the deliberate murder of journalists in the hotel in Baghdad”
Careful with your verbiage here. That US forces deliberately fired on the Palestine Hotel is beyond doubt. To then jump to the conclusion that the intent was “the deliberate murder of journalists” is a leap into the dark. There have been varying accounts, from fire was coming from the hotel, to a photographer on the balcony appeared to US forces to be a “spotter” directing fire on the unit. That a huge mistake was made is undeniable. To state categorically that it was the deliberate murder of journalists “qua” journalists is simply to satisfy a preconceived opinion and justify one’s own narrative.