Afghanistan:
Civilians die in war that disappeared without ending

Apr 14, 2003

On April 9, eleven civilians were killed "accidentally" by U.S. military forces in Afghanistan. When an Afghan militia checkpoint near the border with Pakistan was attacked, U.S. Marine Corps planes were called in. Noticing two small groups of people, they attacked with cannon fire and a 1,000 pound laser-guided bomb. All eleven people killed were civilians, including seven women.

The press, following after the Bush administration, may have forgotten this war – just as Bush will soon try to bury the war in Iraq on the back pages of the newspapers. But it continues, as deadly as ever. There are more U.S. and other foreign troops still operating in Afghanistan today than there were during the high point of the "official war" before the U.S. declared "victory" in this war.

And despite last year's claims that the war in Afghanistan was a war to end terror, liberate Afghanis from oppression and establish a society of freedom and equality for all the people of the country, just the opposite has taken place.

Most of the people of Afghanistan are back under the control of fundamentalist warlords, who torture and kill anyone who challenges their power. They are at least as oppressive of women as the Taliban rulers they have replaced. In fact, many of them worked with the Taliban when they were in power. Even the brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai recently told the Associated Press, "What was promised to Afghans with the collapse of the Taliban was a new life of hope and change. But what was delivered? Nothing. Everyone is back in business."

A perfect preview of the future the Bush administration has in store for Iraq.