Evidence of Taliban victim strategy on air strikes

Bloomberg:

Taliban militants were involved in the killing of civilians in Afghanistan’s western Farah province, a joint probe by coalition and Afghan security forces found, according to an e-mailed statement from the U.S. military.

Afghan doctors, who treated five policemen and 11 civilians in a Farah hospital and were interviewed by the investigators, said the injuries could have resulted from hand grenades or exploding propane tanks, according to the statement.

Fighting between U.S.-led coalition forces and militants in Farah province has left “dozens of civilians” dead, Jessica Barry, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said in a phone interview on May 6.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly urged international forces to exercise restraint to avoid civilian deaths. President Barack Obama offered condolences when he met with Karzai in Washington last week, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced regret.

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Karzai and the Red Cross need to stop being the Taliban's useful idiots in protesting the air strikes. They should look at the Taliban's war crimes that lead to the casualties and put the responsibility on the Taliban where it belongs.

I pointed out from the beginning on this story that the "civilian" casualties were part of a sophisticated Taliban information operation. The media appears to be catching up with this one a little sooner than most, but it should continue to be wary of Taliban charges and the villagers they get to support those charges through either sympathy for their cause or through intimidation. The Afghan politicians have no excuse other than their own craven political objectives.