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Subject: 
Re: Terrorists hate freedom
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Sun, 14 Mar 2004 20:11:58 GMT
Viewed: 
493 times
  
  
   I am not sure that there is a useful difference between the concept of ‘targeting civilians’ and recklessly disregarding civilians in ‘targeting combatants’. It comes down to a question of intent with each side making its own unsupported or unsupportable assertions.

WRT to Iraq, the US took great care to avoid civilian casualties. Yes, it comes down to intent. I think the US intent was clear, and homicide bombers’ intentions are also clear. There is no moral equivalence here.


Why are unlawful killings not investigated? This is from HRW:

“It’s a tragedy that U.S. soldiers have killed so many civilians in Baghdad,” said Joe Stork, acting executive director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch. “But it’s really incredible that the U.S. military does not even count these deaths. Any time U.S. forces kill an Iraqi civilian in questionable circumstances, they should investigate the incident.”

Human Rights Watch.. ..found evidence to suggest that soldiers had used excessive force, including shooting a person who had his hands in the air and beating a detainee.

In some cases, U.S. forces faced a real threat, which gave them the right to respond with force. But that response was sometimes disproportionate or indiscriminate, harming civilians or putting them at risk.

“The cases we documented in this report reveal a pattern of over-aggressive tactics, excessive shooting in residential areas and hasty reliance on lethal force,”

...soldiers often quickly resorted to the use of lethal force. Their fire was not always directed at the intended target, or proportionate to the threat.


I don’t blame the troops; the problems are due to a lack of training.

Scott A



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Terrorists hate freedom
 
(...) I fear you still don't get it. I am talking about killing an innocent (unrelated to your oppression) in order to free you from your oppressor. I am saying that that action is morally unjustified. (...) WRT to Iraq, the US took great care to (...) (21 years ago, 14-Mar-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)

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