30 June 2010

Does Petraeus care about Afghan civilians?

FOX News has reported a story that I hope is wrong. According to FOX, a military source has indicated that General David Petraeus plans to "modify the rules of engagement [in Afghanistan] to make it easier for U.S. troops to engage in combat with the enemy."

FOX went on to explain that "the [currently] strict rules -- aimed at preventing civilian casualties -- have effectively forced the troops to fight with one hand tied behind their backs."

This seems to suggest that you can't fight the enemy effectively if you need to look out for the civilians.

I guess that's why they refer to dead civilians as "collateral damage". It dehumanizes them and makes them easier to dismiss.

However, no matter what you call them, violence towards civilians is prohibited under the fourth Geneva Convention.

But then, such details have been overlooked and ignored for virtually the entire duration of this no-win war.

In the case of Petraeus's plans for Afghanistan, I hope this will turn out to be just another example of FOX getting the story wrong.

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