Stories from 2002-07-21

"The evidence suggests that many civilians have been killed by airstrikes hitting precisely the target they were aimed at. The civilians died, the evidence suggests, because they were were made targets by mistake, or because in eagerness to kill Qaeda and Taliban fighters, Americans did not carefully differentiate between civilians and military targets." [more]

"The government had said the kidnapping group had been decimated after some 1,000 US troops were deployed to the south to help train and assist local troops in their hunt for the kidnappers. However, on Thursday, Abu Solaiman, a leader of the group, read a statement over local radio stations threatening new attacks on US interests." [more]

" 'As for terrorism, we suspect the United States had links to Osama bin Laden and his terrorists. After all, didn't the U.S. finance most of the militant Islamic groups? The U.S. has sponsored terrorist groups here in Iraq and in Iran, Libya, Cuba, El Salvador, Congo, Nicaragua, Angola, Sudan and Indonesia. The U.S. tried to assassinate Egypt's president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Iran's Islamic leadership, that crazy Khadafy in Libya, Gen. Adid in Somalia and, last, but not least, my humble self. Our prisons are full of U.S.-sponsored terrorists who sought to overthrow our glorious revolutionary regime and murder its heroic leaders.' " [more]

"The Americans have also been confined by a second set of mandates. They may return fire only if fired upon, which so far has happened just once. Even more explicitly, the Americans cannot pursue Abu Sayyaf after engagement has been made." [more]

"'Iraq is ... so developed technologically and economically despite the embargo, that it cannot be compared to Afghanistan or Vietnam,' Ecevit said. 'It will not be possible for the [United States] to get out of there easily.'" [more]

"Key Afghan commanders are being bribed with British and US money to ensure their loyalty to the new government." [more]