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Pentagon reverses itself; calls deadly Kabul strike an error

41 Comments
By ROBERT BURNS

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41 Comments

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The whole Iraq thing was a tragic mistake. Why don't they admit that?

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Clearly our intelligence was wrong

This and the weapons of mass destruction premise to wrongfully invade and slaughter the Iraqis are examples of why we should not fully trust government and experts. They are human and get it dead wrong sometimes.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

They constantly lie and the media just swallows it whole. Sad state of affairs. No one will be held to account for the error nor for the lying.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Let's face it, the US just lost yet another war.

The Taliban are back in command.

It's Vietnam all over again!

6 ( +6 / -0 )

What a tragically poetic way to end the war in Afghanistan, by killing 7 children and an NGO worker.

This wasn’t about stopping a terrorist attack. This was about the US military feeling like they needed to get the last punch in after a humiliating loss, so they took a wild swing after the final bell. Sadly, when a bully lashes out, it’s usually the closest defenseless innocent that takes the blow. The military wanted to show the world that they were still big and tough and manly and in their haste to find a ‘terrorist’ to drone, they destroyed countless families. But isn’t that they story of the war on terror? The army can kill a dozen ISIS militants, but then instant they drop a hellfire on a wedding, they create a hundred more

6 ( +6 / -0 )

The Pentagon retreated from its defense of a drone strike that killed multiple civilians in Afghanistan last month, announcing Friday that a review revealed that only civilians were killed in the attack, not an Islamic State extremist as first believed.

Isn't this basically the same thing that happened to America on 9-11, that caused them to go warring in the middle east for 20 years?

I wonder, do they expect that these people are just going to forgive and forget?

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Isn't this basically the same thing that happened to America on 9-11, that caused them to go warring in the middle east for 20 years?

yes, because the perpetrators of 9/11 apologized afterwards so it’s exactly the same thing. /s

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Not with a Terrorist organization

Odd you chopped my comment in half. The US has both paid money to terrorist organizations AND paid money to get the victims of drone strikes. There is a precedent. Why not now?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

From our military industrial complex viewpoint: the weapon system worked effectively and the defense contractors got paid.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

There has been 20 years of this, nothing new. Usually doesn't make the news in the west.

The person/persons in charge for this mistake should be handed over tho the Afghan authorities for trial.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

This is exactly why the US had to get out of Afghanistan. Should have been waaaay sooner, though. The US military-intelligence people have shown themselves to be utter incompetents -- not just with the latest tragedy but throughout the entire Afghan debacle.

Biden is indicating a new US foreign policy direction away from nation building and thus stupid wars in

basket-case countries. About time! The US and the West need to promote isolationism and dismantle globalisation, ASAP.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

How would this administration compensate the families? They’ll fly into Afghanistan and give them some sort of financial compensation or better yet, work with the Taliban leaders, give them the money and ask them to pass it along to the families?

You act like the US hasn't compensated drone victims before, like the US has never sent money to terrorist organizations before. Funny that.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUKKCN0IX21I20141113

1 ( +2 / -1 )

P. Smith

Globalism ensures peace whereas isolation ensures war.

Haha. I hope you're being ironic. Afghanistan was started and sustained by a committed globalist and further sustained by another committed globalist. The candidate in the recent presidential elections calling outright for the end of "stupid foreign wars" was an isolationist. Thank god that wisdom finally seems to be rubbing off on the Democrats.

Afghanistan dragged on well beyond reasonable strategic aims, because neo-liberal globalist leaders feel unfulfilled when they arent conducting war somewhere in the world.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

“The strike was a tragic mistake,"

Yeah, and under the teflon shield of impunity those responsible are going to get off scot free for this last vicious, vengeful act of violence, so symbolic of the cold-hearted bureaucratic brutality that has galvanized resistance to the foreign occupation forces and brought the country under the yoke of the Taliban after twenty years of carnage. From the untouchable Potus down, no individuals will ever face justice for this last, unnecessary act of wanton lust for revenge, a knee-jerk political gesture as American as mom's apple pie, that runs like a bloody thread through America's history of conquest, slavery and military interventions abroad.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Not with a Terrorist organization,

Sir our former president praised the taliban as very fine people, he released 5000 prisoners and asked them to nominate him for a Nobel.

Do you mean he was doing that with terrorists????

Even though I don’t doubt war heroes, I think you are wrong about our former president!

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Not just him, as Biden said, “the buck stops with me.” Austin, Kirby and Blinken also need to resign as well.

You make it sound as if this is the first time the US has accidentally killed civilians.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

The intel was obviously provided by a hold-over Trump appointee, one of many Trump placed throughout the government to sabotage the Biden administration...

Root them out and send them packing...

Of course if this would have happened last year, Trump would have blamed it on Hunter and Hugo Chavez...

1 ( +4 / -3 )

How would this administration compensate the families? They’ll fly into Afghanistan and give them some sort of financial compensation or better yet, work with the Taliban leaders, give them the money and ask them to pass it along to the families?

Ok….smh…

0 ( +9 / -9 )

because the perpetrators of 9/11 apologized afterwards so it’s exactly the same thing. 

My bad, I didn’t realize they fixed it by apologizing. I should have fact checked myself.

I’m assuming that the dead managed to come back to life? Apologies do that right?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

An “error” huh?

Biden was so urgently trying to deflect from his Afghan withdrawal incompetence and to look like a tough guy that he killed 10 civilians.

will anyone be held accountable?

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Pretty obvious to the whole world from about day two or three that this was a tragic mistake made in the last-minute panic after the indiscriminate genocidal IS massacre at the airport.

Remember the context and look at how the US has finally (largely) manned-up to this.

How and in what manner any compensation can be made is another matter. Just too sad for the remaining family members.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Ok and he is still in command right? Why is that if he is really responsible and accountable and not just saying words to cover up for Biden who gave the order?

0 ( +5 / -5 )

It took the entire world’s media attention on Afghanistan, an in-depth NYT story and extensive video footage of the victims the morning of for them to finally admit (as an error only) they killed civilians and lied about them being ISIS suicide bombers. Now imagine how many other times they lied.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

So, that is an error after all? Perhaps an intentional one albeit blind..

0 ( +1 / -1 )

“The strike was a tragic mistake," Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told a Pentagon news conference.

Acknowledging that is was a mistake is the first step, I hope they compensate the families.

Strikes like these was what lead to a resurgence in support for the medieval brutes , taliban!

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

How would this administration compensate the families? They’ll fly into Afghanistan and give them some sort of financial compensation or better yet, work with the Taliban leaders, give them the money and ask them to pass it along to the families?

Sir, there is something called money transfer, there is something called working with friendly countries like Qatar who have influence there.

Btw I am not suggesting ‘blank check’ that is something only billionaires can afford.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

And Biden as the current President and from the latest reports didn’t listen to any of his senior military leaders when he decided to make this disastrous move.

Sir, are you saying that the former president’s negotiations with the taliban were disastrous????

This could have all been avoided, but Biden being who he has always been wanted to show even his senior military officials he’s got this.

Which senior commanders are these dear sir?

So were the ‘Senior Commanders’ fine with the former president requesting the taliban to nominate him for a Nobel in exchange for 5000 terrorists???

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Pentagon reverses itself; calls deadly Kabul strike an error

such a soft headline. How about what really happened?

“Pentagon lies and covers up murderous drone strikes authorized by Biden- no one held accountable.”

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

if you want to get technical President 44 was responsible for releasing the Gitmo-5 of the most dangerous Taliban fighters in an exchange over a deserter??

You're right, if someone is going to mention Trump releasing 5,000 Taliban fighters, we'd better bring up the five fighters released by Obama. Because five is a bigger number than 5,000 and Obama was a weak apologist to boot!

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

The murder of that family was Biden’s show of “resolve” and designed as a distraction after his utter incompetence was revealed during the debacle of the withdrawl. A callous, disgusting murder of civilians in an attempt to take some of the pressure off Biden.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Sir, are you saying that the former president’s negotiations with the taliban were disastrous????

I am saying the CURRENT President presided over this. But if you want to get technical President 44 was responsible for releasing the Gitmo-5 of the most dangerous Taliban fighters in an exchange over a deserter??

Which senior commanders are these dear sir?

Rhetorical question?

So were the ‘Senior Commanders’ fine with the former president requesting the taliban to nominate him for a Nobel in exchange for 5000 terrorists???

They weren’t fine with how the current administration botched this.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Gen. Frank McKenzie, Commander of U.S. Central Command, said he was responsible and accountable.

Not just him, as Biden said, “the buck stops with me.” Austin, Kirby and Blinken also need to resign as well.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Joe can do “the empathy thing” now.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

You're right, if someone is going to mention Trump releasing 5,000 Taliban fighters, we'd better bring up the five fighters released by Obama. Because five is a bigger number than 5,000 and Obama was a weak apologist to boot!

Exactly, it's all irrelevant and in the past, so as to how all this relates to what this current President has done is beyond me, but he is indeed sinking faster than the Titanic.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

more like the Taliban gave them the "intel" in the first place.

Biden and his band of incompetent generals plus Blinken and Kirby stupidly took as truth and killed innocent civilians and 7 children, even gloating afterwards about what they had done.

All of which now the Taliban can use AGAINST the USA as propaganda. The Biden administration has murdered Afghan innocent children and there is video.

No amount of pallets of cash can undo that propaganda value . At least the commanders who did it can resign, including the "buck stops here" Commander in Chief.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Sir our former president praised the taliban as very fine people, he released 5000 prisoners and asked them to nominate him for a Nobel.

And Biden as the current President and from the latest reports didn’t listen to any of his senior military leaders when he decided to make this disastrous move. This could have all been avoided, but Biden being who he has always been wanted to show even his senior military officials he’s got this.

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

You act like the US hasn't compensated drone victims before,

Not with a Terrorist organization, I hope this administration is at least basically smart enough to not fall for it and give diplomatic legitimacy to this radial jihadist group of thugs.

These people won’t be compensated because we can’t even get on the ground. Unbelievable these people.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

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