Civilians Get The Brunt Of Airstrike

I heard this report on NPR's Morning Edition. (Which is really relaxing when you are driving, by the way, public radio has soothing voices) However, as much as I enjoy the soothing voices, reports like this are always unsettling. In summation, an air strike in Afghanistan killed 7 children at a madrassa school where "suspected al-Qaida militants" were hiding.

Al-Qaida militants? No way man! I feel like it's easy to justify any killing of civilians when they throw the words like insurgents, militants, al-Qaida, and suspected terrorists. Obviously, in a state of war, I am not so naive to think no civilian deaths will happen, but in 2007 (A mere 6 years of being in Afghanistan) things like this seem ridiculous. I really can see President Bush saying, "Sacrifices have to be made in the WAR ON TERROR." At the expense of the everyone involved apparently.

Military leaders have had this to say:

Coalition troops had "surveillance on the compound all day and saw no indications there were children inside the building," said Maj. Chris Belcher, a coalition spokesman. He accused the militants of not letting the children leave the compound that was targeted.

"If we knew that there were children inside the building, there was no way that that airstrike would have occurred," said Sgt. 1st Class Dean Welch, another coalition spokesman.

Obviously, this is an unfortunate accident, but it's also easy to pass the buck. Either way, no matter how you apologize, at the end of the day...America looks like a bunch of Yeti heathens to the international community. (Who already holds such a high confidence in our actions already.)