Leaflets dropped by RAF plane kill Afghan girl

[Gromit]

An RAF spokesman said: "In a tragic incident on June 23, an airdrop of public information leaflets took place over a rural area in Helmand province. Sadly, one of the boxes failed to fully open and on landing cause serious injuries to an Afghan child. The child was treated at the local medical facility in Kandahar where, despite the best efforts of staff, she died as a result of her injuries."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/6245160/Propaganda-leaflets-kill-Afghan-girl.html

It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic. Time to cut our loses?

[Sqad]

"Collateral damage" common and acceptable in war.

Objects of war remain the same.

[ll_billym]

Every time something 'like this' happens I think 'There goes another family/community that now has a real cause to hate us.

Unfortunately the longer we are there, the more locals will want us out, a bit like government in this country really, you atart off with a clean slate and it just gets worse from there.

I guess that these things have to be somewhat weighed up against the bigger picture of why we are out there in the first place and if the feelings of the populace are getting in the way of that then get out, if not then stay.

[anotheoldgit]

ll_billym

Every time something 'like this' happens I think 'There goes another family/community that now has a real cause to hate us.

Do you ever think the same, every time a British soldier is maimed or killed? I bet there are plenty of British families of these soldiers who have real cause to hate Afghans and their religion.

Ater all these young Service personnel are sacrificing their very lives, so that these individuals can lead a better and peaceful life, and if a few of them get killed it is a small price to pay.

I suppose if an Afghan civilian (working for the West) was killed while helping to build a Dam for their country, that would be the West's fault also?

[ll_billym]

So AOG, I guess by your post you also have no problem with few British servicemen getting killed so that the Afghan "individuals can lead a better and more peaceful life"? So stop banging on about it.

My first paragraph alludes to the fact that we are, as you say, supposed to be making life better for the Afghan people and killing innocent people does not make that family or communities life better. I am not actually blaming the West for killings of this kind, it is what happens in war but I think people such as yourself forget the real reason we are supposed to be out there in the first place and the impact this has on that mission.