U.S. bombs Iraqi orchardsOn Thursday morning, US warplanes dropped 40,000 pounds of bombs on more than 40 targets in Baghdad's southern outskirts. The targets of the renewed and intensive bombing were orchards of citrus trees and date palms alleged to be hideouts for local "al-Qaeda" fighters.
As quoted today by Agence France Presse (AFP) , Colonel Terry Ferrell told a Baghdad press conference via a video link that "we were able to destroy several major improvised explosive devices (roadside bombs)... We were also able to identify and destroy several weapons caches." According to an AP story in today's Boston Herald, we will be stepping up our efforts to "clean al-Qaeda out" with bombing as the 30,000 ground troops in the McCain-Petraeus "surge" are pulled out between now and June.
Orchards like these must take tens if not hundreds of years to establish in a semiarid environment such as central Iraq. The above photo provided with the AFP story also implies that cluster bombs were used for the action, ensuring that there will be future casualties and economic consequences of the action.
Labels: Iraq
posted by Don Thieme @ 8:28 AM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
Next up: "The War On Dates"...
I have come to the sickening conclusion that winning the "War On Terror" by dropping bombs is based on a delusion: that there are "evildoers" who exist for no particular reason, and all we need to do is kill them.
But terrorism breeds in violence and destruction. By killing people, we guarantee a never-ending supply of terrorists. The answer has to be in an understanding and nonviolent purpose that our society is purposely rejecting.
Am I reasoning incorrectly? I keep thinking that the best way to stop Hitler would have been a better-constructed peace at Versailles.
The wonderful thing about these cluster bombs is that everyone killed or maimed can just be counted as "collateral damage." Also, they are a gift that just keeps right on giving.
Oh this news just sickens me. I will be so glad when our government finally comes to it's senses.
Bill is still stuck over there. And, I don't care what the news here in this country tells us...not every single soldier over there is happy about it,nor, do they support this insanity.
It's good to be back finally. I have missed reading your post.
_Jackie
I know that we have great men and women serving in our armed forces, Jackie. We have to take responsibility for what our leaders are making them do. We have to elect new leaders, leaders who will at least listen even if they may keep making some of the same mistakes.
As a Canajun, I'm thankful that our Prime Minister of the day kept us out of Iraq. However, Canada did step into Afghanistan to support the US and is still there today.
I don't know what the rhetoric is about Iraq in the US, but in Canada we are told that one of the things the army is doing in Afghanistan is rebuilding what the Taliban destroyed, and creating the conditions for a healthy democracy.
I'm always suspicious when I hear stuff like this. When, in the history of the planet, has an army's primary mission ever been to rebuild?
The sales pitch about Iraq that finally stuck is the one about fighting the terrorists there so that we do not have to fight them here. As I am sure that you know, they tried many other slogans for selling the war before they settled for that.
From what I read there are not a lot of foreign fighters showing up to attack our forces over there any more. The "al Qaeda" identity is mostly being appropriated by thugs and brigands some of whom are really pissed off at us and some whom just find it easier to do jihad than to find a real job.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home