Civilian death claims part of Taliban information op

NY Times:

American military officials sought on Wednesday to refute claims that as many as 90 civilians — among them 60 children — were killed in airstrikes on a village in western Afghanistan last Friday.

In the face of an investigation by Afghan officials and a report by a United Nations team that support the high number of deaths, United States officials maintain that 25 militants and 5 civilians were killed in airstrikes called in after Afghan and American commandos came under heavy fire during a raid on the compound of a top Taliban commander.

American officials have refused to comment publicly on the conflicting death tolls pending the outcome of an investigation ordered over the weekend by Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser, a top American commander. The results are expected to be announced later this week, American officials said.

But four military and Pentagon officials agreed to give details of the incident on the condition of anonymity because of the inquiry under way.

One American military official, who has seen photographs taken at the scene as troops went house to house assessing damage and casualties, said there was no evidence to support the higher civilian death toll. Nor was there any evidence of a large number of recently dug graves or large number of injuries reported in local hospitals, the official said.

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On Tuesday, a United Nations human rights team said it had found “convincing evidence” to support the higher death toll, corroborating figures given earlier by a government commission sent from Kabul to investigate the bombing, which put the total dead at up to 95.

But American officials, venting frustration over what they said were cursory reviews, said Wednesday that neither investigation had found any physical evidence to support the higher death tolls, and instead relied on the word of villagers who either supported or were cowed by Taliban fighters in the region.

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About 1 a.m. on Friday, Afghan national army commandos and American Special Operations forces supporting them came under heavy fire from militants armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades as they approached a walled cluster of single-story homes and other buildings in a village of Shindand District, in western Afghanistan. The target of the raid was a Taliban commander, Mullah Sadiq, and several of his fighters.

American forces called in airstrikes from a lumbering AC-130 gunship, an Air Force Special Operations aircraft outfitted with side-firing cannons and 105-millimeter howitzers. The gunship blasted at least two of the buildings from which insurgents were firing at the allied forces.

American commanders said that even before the shooting started, allied troops saw women and children fleeing the compound into the night.

By dawn, the fighting had ended. Combat photographers documented the scene, according to the Americans. In addition to the 25 militants, including Mullah Sadiq, two women and three children were killed, possibly in the cross-fire, American officials said. One woman and one child who were wounded in the fighting were flown on American helicopters to receive medical attention, the Americans said.

The allied forces seized several dozen men in the compound, eventually releasing all but about half a dozen. There were no women or children left in the compound, American officials said.

The Afghan and American forces seized several assault rifles, 4,000 rounds of ammunition, mines, bomb-making materials, grenades, $4,000 in American and Afghan currency, as well as photographs of the exterior of American bases in the area, the Americans said.

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“Sometimes we think there’s been overt efforts on the part of the Taliban, in particular, to surround themselves with civilians so as to, at a minimum, reap an I.O. advantage if civilians are killed,” General Conway told reporters, using the shorthand for information operations, or propaganda. “You want to strike the precise building that you’re targeting, but sometimes there are other people there. And you don’t know that, because you’re not on the inside looking out.”

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Whenever I see stories suggesting that US forces have killed civilians in Afghanistan, it usually suggest to me a Taliban information operation and unfortunately some in the media follow their script. I think the NY Times gives a very balanced account here. This story has been on two different tracks for several days now. Some follow the 30 killed story line and others follow the Taliban line of 95 civilian killed.

The Taliban line suggest to me that the mission was probably very successful and they needed a cover story to hide their losses and try to inhibit future attacks. About the only thing missing from the current Taliban version is calling the gathering a wedding party. They use that ruse to claim that the firing coming out of a compound is "celebratory."

The media has caught on to the joke now so they have changed. What is really inconsistent in the current Taliban version of this story is the claim that only women and children were killed. That in itself is such an utterly ridiculous suggestion that it can't pass the laugh test. Is there anywhere in Afghanistan were there are only women and children with no men around to protect them. It is a cultural impossibility.

Karzai, unfortunately, plays into this enemy propaganda by going along with the charges to cover his political bases. Then the UN marches in and follows the Taliban script rather than looking for physical evidence.

I think the military has been far too defensive on this matter. They should have put forces on the ground where the attack took place as soon as the bogus charges were put forward. Defeating the enemy information operations is an important part of winning this war and they should not spend days doing it.