'The gulf between the two accounts is a reminder of how sensitive every NATO operation in Afghanistan has become. In Taliban-heavy areas it is hard to distinguish villagers from insurgents and sometimes public opinion turns against coalition forces even when they say they are certain they targeted the correct people.'These words are reported verbatim in other US MSM newsfeeds. It looks very much like they are carrying Nato statements word for word and presenting it as news. Fox has 'reported' in the same terms this morning, needless to say. I don't know about you, but I believe the account of the local villagers.
It seems you die for being a suspected insurgent under wahtever rules of engagement NATO uses:
ReplyDeleteFrom the BBC today -
''A relative of the dead brothers, Mahmoud Khan, said US troops had entered their home in the village of Zarin Khil during the night and shot them. The soldiers then took their father into custody, he added.
"They were sleeping in one room, and suddenly the soldiers broke the glass window and they fired on them and killed them," he told the Associated Press.
However, Nato spokesman Ryan Donald said the men were "suspected insurgents", who had pointed weapons at the troops.
"The assault force engaged the threat, killing the men. After securing the compound, the assault force detained one suspected insurgent," a Nato statement said.
Correspondents say the differing accounts of the raid in question show how sensitive the Nato operation in Afghanistan has become.''