Death at a Distance: The Secret U.S. Air War in Afghanistan and Iraq, page 3
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reply posted on 15-9-2007 @ 07:04 AM by JimmyCarterIsSmarter
Can I just add that the USAF is not simply flying a bunch of B-52's over Iraqi cities dropping cluster bombs at random intervals. They aquire targets based on suspicious activity (www.abovetopsecret.com...), known military targets and intellegence reports, then they bomb them with GPS guided, laser guided, and inertially guided munitions which will hit within, 2+/- m or even less, of the target.

If a 'communication outpost' is actually a bomb shelter, obviously many civilians will be killed. If there is a firefight in a street and the coalition requires Close air support... then it should be no surprise that a 2000 pound dumb bomb Mk-84 gets dropped on the insurgent, and unintentionally, civilian, heads. That, in my opinion, is not murder. While horrible, it is collateral damage and is NOT intentional.

Terror bombing.... dropping bombs randomly into cities is murder. But precision weapons taking out a threat...? Naaa. 'Collateral damage.'

I beleive the Airforce should acquire and use larger numbers of smaller, precision munitions as well as improving intellegence so that military targets are not civilian 'targets'. Lowering reliance on airsupport in many situations would also help.

[edit on 15/9/07 by JimmyCarterIsSmarter]


reply posted on 15-9-2007 @ 07:22 AM by JimmyCarterIsSmarter
reply to post by budski


Yes, the USA is responsible for making sure civilians are not in the area, however, it is war, not a little pixie faerie tail little world. Innocent people WILL be killed, yet I would say, the USAF has done a very nice job, surgically dropping there bombs onto targets.

What if they just used dumb bombs dropped from 10 miles up from B-52s? Again. for the amount of bombs dropped and targets eliminated, the amount of civilians that have been killed in the Iraq war has not been terribly bad.

I will again state that I beleive the Airforce should acquire and use a larger percent of smaller, precision munitions as well as improving intellegence so that military targets are not civilian 'targets'. Reliance on airpower is pointless, a waste of money, and contributes to civilians being killed.

Many situations in the Iraq could probably be resolved by grunts on the ground. But even then it should be noted that civilians may be killed.

[edit on 15/9/07 by JimmyCarterIsSmarter]


reply posted on 15-9-2007 @ 07:31 AM by budski
reply to post by JimmyCarterIsSmarter


A fair point, but in an illegal war any civilian casualties are unacceptable.
The US has long crowed about it's pin point accurate weapons, so why are they not being used?
The use of cluster munitions in any civilian area is unconscionable.


reply posted on 16-9-2007 @ 07:57 AM by budski
reply to post by JimmyCarterIsSmarter


According to Associated Press, there has been a five-fold increase in the number of bombs dropped on Iraq during the first six months of 2007 over the same period in 2006. More than 30 tons of those have been cluster weapons, which take an especially heavy toll on civilians.


The use of cluster weapons in any area where there are or may be civilians, shows an appalling disregard for human life and for the geneva convention, to which the US is a signatory.
For western countries, war has rules - if we sink to the level of insurgents and/or terrorists then we are no better than them.
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