Civilian Deaths
A US bomb kills 58 people in a Baghdad market:
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP)--Iraq's information minister said at least 58 people were killed Friday in a crowded market in northwest Baghdad by what local officials called a coalition bombing.
The market was strewn with wreckage and there were bloodstains on a sidewalk. Crowds of mourners wailed and blood-soaked children's slippers sat on the street not far from a crater blasted into the ground.
The U.S. Central Command in Qatar said it was looking into the report. Iraqi officials have blamed U.S. forces for explosions at another market that killed 14 people on Wednesday. The Pentagon had denied targeting the neighborhood.
``Why do they makes mistakes like these if they have the technology?'' asked Abdel-Hadi Adai, who said he lost his 27-year-old brother-in-law Najah Abdel-Rida in the blast. ``There are no military installations anywhere near here.''
Of course the sentiment of Abdel-Hadi Adai is based on an incorrect assumption that we can use these bombs with utmost accuracy. The odds that the Pentagon would directly target a market are essentially zero.
But that isn't the point. We're already considered an occupying army by Iraqis. And although we'll still likely win this war, the success of post-war occupation will largely depend on what average Iraqis think of us.
In other words we can't afford bombs killing innocent civilians in a market. Every civilian death is just one more reason for the Iraqis to resent the Americans. And will buy more support to groups like Al Qaeda or Hamas.
Am I saying we should try winning this war without bombings? No, I'm saying we shouldn't be trying to win this war at all. The fact that we're in this war is only through the hubris of the administration and the ignorance of the American public. It's an unwinnable war. Sure, Saddam will be defeated, but we'll lose a lot of men in the occupation even if we don't lose that many in the siege. And if that's a victory, who needs defeat?
A US bomb kills 58 people in a Baghdad market:
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP)--Iraq's information minister said at least 58 people were killed Friday in a crowded market in northwest Baghdad by what local officials called a coalition bombing.
The market was strewn with wreckage and there were bloodstains on a sidewalk. Crowds of mourners wailed and blood-soaked children's slippers sat on the street not far from a crater blasted into the ground.
The U.S. Central Command in Qatar said it was looking into the report. Iraqi officials have blamed U.S. forces for explosions at another market that killed 14 people on Wednesday. The Pentagon had denied targeting the neighborhood.
``Why do they makes mistakes like these if they have the technology?'' asked Abdel-Hadi Adai, who said he lost his 27-year-old brother-in-law Najah Abdel-Rida in the blast. ``There are no military installations anywhere near here.''
Of course the sentiment of Abdel-Hadi Adai is based on an incorrect assumption that we can use these bombs with utmost accuracy. The odds that the Pentagon would directly target a market are essentially zero.
But that isn't the point. We're already considered an occupying army by Iraqis. And although we'll still likely win this war, the success of post-war occupation will largely depend on what average Iraqis think of us.
In other words we can't afford bombs killing innocent civilians in a market. Every civilian death is just one more reason for the Iraqis to resent the Americans. And will buy more support to groups like Al Qaeda or Hamas.
Am I saying we should try winning this war without bombings? No, I'm saying we shouldn't be trying to win this war at all. The fact that we're in this war is only through the hubris of the administration and the ignorance of the American public. It's an unwinnable war. Sure, Saddam will be defeated, but we'll lose a lot of men in the occupation even if we don't lose that many in the siege. And if that's a victory, who needs defeat?
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