| FrontPageMag.com | By Robert Spencer | By Hugh Fitzgerald | Books | Dhimmi Watch | Islam 101 | Qur'an Blog | Raymond Ibrahim | Robert Spencer |  |
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|
The Taliban takes a cue from Hizballah, perhaps, in exploiting casualties caused by the use of human shields, a practice banned by the Fourth Geneva Convention (see Article 28). "NATO says Taleban using civilians as shields, as high toll feared," from AFP:
KABUL - The NATO force in Afghanistan Thursday accused the Taleban of using civilians as human shields, as authorities scrambled to verify reports that at least 60 people were killed in military strikes.
The International Security Assistance Force said it could not say how many civilians were killed in a series of operations in the southern province of Kandahar late Tuesday, but was helping Afghan authorities to find out.
ISAF said late Wednesday that 48 Taleban were killed in three engagements, including air strikes, in Kandahar’s Panjwayi area late Tuesday.
However, the chief of Panjwayi district, Niaz Mohammad Sarhadi, said he had reports that about 60 locals were killed in aerial bombing that also destroyed a number of houses.
Deputy director of Kandahar provincial council, Bismellah Afghanmal, put the figure as high as 85, but national authorities could not immediately confirm the local reports, which have in the past been exaggerated.
Asked about civilian casualties, NATO civilian representative Mark Laity said "at the moment we don’t know", adding any that had occurred were deeply regretted.
ISAF took great care to avoid civilian casualties, but the Taleban were mixing themselves among residents when attacked, NATO officials told reporters in the capital, Kabul.
"With insurgents who regard the population as a form of human shield for themselves, it obviously makes life very difficult for us, but it doesn’t stop us making every effort to ensure we minimise any problems," Laity said.
"We know that the public rely on us and expect us to take every care, and if they (civilians) are accidentally killed then it can affect (public) faith in us," he said.
ISAF was working with an Afghan defence ministry team that had been tasked to find out what had happened, he told reporters in Kabul.
"We are helping Afghan leaders there fly over the area to make an assessment," added ISAF spokesman Major Luke Knittig at the same briefing.
The force would also attend a shura (council) being convened in the area to discuss the matter, he said.
Posted by Marisol at October 27, 2006 12:42 AM
Print this entry
| Email this entry
| Digg this
| del.icio.us
|
"Taliban using civilians as shields." But don't forget that the Taliban are often in civilian clothings.
Posted by: FreedomSeeker33![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 27, 2006 12:54 AM
Another missleading article by terrorist suporting media.
The number of civilians used by the Taliban as shields (or they were sympathizers) were SEVEN, not 70 according to NATO military spokesman.
Good riddance. May they burn in hell forever with all the other followers of Satanand his pedophile prophet Moe.
Posted by: Mullahmasher at October 27, 2006 12:56 AM
This is off-topic.
It was reported sometime ago that some Pakistani Muslim gang has raped some white Australian girls. Now a Muslim cleric in Australia comes up with the strange argument that the girls themselves are to blame because they, by their way of insufficient cladding, have incited the young men to commit rape. What this means is that the majority of Austrlians has to live by the rules set by the few Muslims, who have managed to set up shop in that land.
The full story can be read from:
http://www.deccan.com/World/WorldNews.asp?#Australian%20cleric%20blames%20women%20for%20rape
Posted by: cincinnatikid at October 27, 2006 2:18 AM
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
The civilian 'human shields' are more often than not simply the terrorists' wives and children.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
at October 27, 2006 2:37 AM
Civilians = Taliban
Taliban = Civilians
They have one thing in common Islam
Posted by: shiva at October 27, 2006 4:01 AM
the allies had no problem bombing Dresden during WW2, note did they have a BBC to lie about casulaties,, its a war!
Posted by: ZenaWarriorPrincess at October 27, 2006 6:38 AM
Traditional Mohammedan warfare, what else is new?
When the call for Jiahd comes, every man, woman and child has to do their holy duty to fight he infidels, or Jooozzz, or 'polytheists'...
Who is surprised about this?
Posted by: sheik yer'mami at October 27, 2006 6:53 AM
Seven or seventy, in one sense it does not matter. What I find interesting is that by adopting the tactic they do, namely of fighting from within a civilian community, they can never be beaten by conventional forces from external sovereign powers armed with conventional weapons and who fight by given rules of engagement under "international" conventions. Terrorists by whatever name one chooses to use (freedom-fighters, etc.) fighting the British, whether in South Arica during the Boer War, the Mau-mau in Kenya or, latterly, the IRA in Northern Ireland will always win.
Regarding casualties, when the civilian population of the home/colonial power will not accept, or is not prepared to accept civilian casualties among the "innocent" colonised people then the was is lost. The best example I can think of to illustrate my point is the Amritsar massace on 13 April 1919 which signalled the end of the Raj. The movement for Indian independence from the empire never looked back after that.
If we take the view that if the Taliban either want or can accommodate civilian casualties and we care sufficiently to comment: we might as well pack up now and go home. If, on the other hand, we dealt with civilian casualties as a wholly necessary and justified cost (to be paid by the insurgent community with no come-back whatsoever) then there might be a hope.
Posted by: jaimehuelva at October 27, 2006 7:20 AM
What's the big deal? The Taliban are fighting in time honored style-killing from behind, using human shields, etc. This is what these heroic fighters for Allah do-skulk about and generally crawl like worms. Mo himself probably taught them these tactics because Allah told him this is heroic and we all know that Allah knows best.
What a bunch of creepy crazies-perfect for Halloween all year long.
Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at October 27, 2006 7:55 AM
Comments are turned off and archived for this entry.
(Note: The Comments section is provided in the interests of free speech only. It is mostly unmoderated, but comments that are off-topic, offensive, slanderous, or otherwise annoying stand a chance of being deleted. The fact that any comment remains on the site IN NO WAY constitutes an endorsement by Jihad Watch or Dhimmi Watch, or by Robert Spencer or any other Jihad Watch or Dhimmi Watch writer, of any view expressed, fact alleged, or link provided in that comment.)