Community | July 24, 2010 | 53 comments

"What Was My Father's Crime?" Afghan Tells Story of His Father's Killing in a U.S. Night Raid

treewolf39
From: rethinkafghanistan | July 21, 2010 | 1,982 views
"What was my father's crime? And what was the danger from him? He was 92 years old."

On March 21, 2010, a joint U.S. and Afghan force, likely including U.S. special forces, killed a 92-year-old civilian, Abdul Ghani Khan, in Wardak Province, Afghanistan. In this exclusive interview obtained by Brave New Foundation's Rethink Afghanistan campaign, the slain man's son, Zaitullah Ghiasi Wardak, relates the family's account of the night his father died.

Khan's death is the latest in a string of civilian killings by U.S. special forces in night raids. Earlier this year, special forces killed 3 women--two of them pregnant--along with two local Afghan government officials and then tried to cover it up. The U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan is expected to rely even more heavily on special forces in the future.

These incidents are moral outrages, and don't make Americans any safer. If you're fed up with this brutal, costly war, join us at http://facebook.com/RethinkAfghanistan .
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53 comments // "What Was My Father's Crime?" Afghan Tells Story of His Father's Killing in a U.S. Night Raid // Video

  • suzane
  • carslut
    • -2
      carslut  
    • We're in Afghanistan because we were invited there by some really fucked up people that used airplanes against us for some fucked up political/religious agenda/dogma. DON'T FORGET THAT. War is hell. When you sleep with the dogs you're going to get fleas. How many innocent German citizens were killed when the Allies bombed Germany? Where's the outrage there? I'd be outraged too if my Grandfather was seemingly killed for no apparent reason. But all things taken in consideration, there was a reason. We just haven't heard it.

    • 2 years ago
  • Juas
  • thetrimsmith
    • 0
      thetrimsmith  
    • This is War, ok? Shootin' and Killin'. As long as we feed our children to the desert, this will happen. Every time we pump gas, we help this along. We ride from place to place, spending money. Meanwhile people far away die, for nothing more than the price we demand to pay at the pump. Everyone knows we should remove all of our troops from the Middle East and force the development of non-caustic energy, EVERYONE.

    • 2 years ago
  • toyotabedzrock
    • +4
      toyotabedzrock  
    • Image
    • My perspective, special forces kill less people than dropping bombs.

      This leaves easily recovered bodies, and family members for the press to report on.

      It's a tragedy that anyone has to die, but the rate at which civilians are killed is likely less now than under Bush.

      If you read the link below you will notice civilian deaths where not being counted until 2007!

      http://www.afghanconflictmonitor.org/civilian.html

    • 2 years ago
  • infocus
  • toyotabedzrock
  • freecrack
  • youarewastinglife
    • +6
      youarewastinglife  
    • does anyone know the amount of civilian casualties caused by US forces in the Middle East? I've heard everything from 100,000 to over a million. Regardless, there is no way we can fight terrorism if we are killing civilians right and left.

    • 2 years ago
  • toyotabedzrock
  • freecrack
    • +1
      freecrack  
    • youarewastinglife:

      KIND OF LIKE YOU CANT FIGHT COMMUNISM EITHER sorry caps lock was on and im lazy.
      both are ideas
      jihadis cant kill freedom
      hitler cant kill judaism
      we couldnt kill communism
      and now we cant kill terrorism
      how do you kill what isnt living.
      sure its a zombie question but its how the military industrial complex cyphens our money, a new idea is the threat, so any human being can be an example of it dependant on the governments or militaries needs.if it was a guy, like saddam for instance what was that good for, a month maybe three i think before we snagged his ass?and how long ago did we stop really expecting bin laden to be found, like by the time we went into iraq we were well over bin laden
      but keep us scared of an idea, and thats bitch you can drain for ever.mccarthy style

      are you now, or ever been a terrorist?

    • 2 years ago
  • MotherForTruth
  • libertyforall
  • MotherForTruth
    • +2
      MotherForTruth  
    • libertyforall:

      terrorism - The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

    • 2 years ago
  • libertyforall
    • -1
      libertyforall  
    • MotherForTruth:

      You provided the correct definition of terrorism. Which proves terrorism does not apply to this situation.

      The US did not intentionally kill a grandfather to scare the population into making a political change. If there is no political motive it is not terrorism.

    • 2 years ago
  • treewolf39
    • +2
      treewolf39  
    • libertyforall:

      Come now, You don't see how this would terrorize other families? You really think the terror motive has to be there for an action to be called terrorism? Who the terrorist is depends on where you are standing when the bullets are flying and the bombs are falling.

      Stating you were only trying to get some other perceived bad guy does not change the consequences of your actions. Terrorism is a perception.

    • 2 years ago
  • libertyforall
    • -1
      libertyforall  
    • treewolf39:

      By definition it cannot be terrorism without a political motive behind the killings. Not only that, but unless the killings were deliberate attempts to enact a political change it cannot be terrorism.

      Terrorism is a clear cut term defined by actions with a political goal. This would simply be state sponsored murder or even guerrilla type warfare.

    • 2 years ago
  • MotherForTruth
    • +2
      MotherForTruth  
    • libertyforall:

      "The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person"... "against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies"

      I am surprised you do not see intentional invasion, force, intimidation, violence against this family this as terrorism.

    • 2 years ago
  • libertyforall
    • -1
      libertyforall  
    • MotherForTruth:

      If you want to argue the overall war in Afghanistan is an act of terrorism then the argument would have merit. I would disagree, but it would at least fit the definition of terrorism.

      It is not terrorism unless there is a political motive. Terrorism is an act carried out against a population to enact a political change.

      States can commit acts of terror if there is a political end goal. This would not be an example of state sponsored terrorism.

    • 2 years ago
  • treewolf39
  • KSirys
  • libertyforall
    • -1
      libertyforall  
    • treewolf39:

      I'm using the correct definition of terrorism. I'm just sick of people using the word so liberally without actually using it in the correct context. Terrorism is a specific set of actions. It is not terrorism anytime someone kills an innocent civilian.

      This is the State Department's definition of terrorism:

      # The term "terrorism" means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant/*/ targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.
      # The term "international terrorism" means terrorism involving citizens or the territory of more than one country.
      # The term "terrorist group" means any group practicing, or that has significant subgroups that practice, international terrorism.

    • 2 years ago
  • treewolf39
    • +3
      treewolf39  
    • libertyforall:

      Go ahead and tell that to the families of those that have died on both sides. FUCK our state department definitions. This country has been sponsoring terrorism in Central and South America for decades. Like I said; call it what you will.

    • 2 years ago
  • libertyforall
  • freecrack
    • +1
      freecrack  
    • libertyforall:

      it can be terrorism if that is the means by wich we gained controll or attempted to gain control of a region.ya know as opposed to defeating an actual enemy wich we have yet to do in afganastan.

    • 2 years ago
  • freecrack
    • +1
      freecrack  
    • libertyforall:

      thier is a political motive, to be scarier than the taliban and force support.ya think psy ops never told them intimidation is a powerfull tool?dont get me wrong i love my soldiers, but they tend to be meatheads who know the power of fear over a subject inside and out.

    • 2 years ago
  • treewolf39
  • freecrack
    • 0
      freecrack  
    • treewolf39:

      i honest to god think jj has aquired a coke habit, and is running multiple names concurrently, even arguing with himself from time to time.i think he is doing a vaudvillian representation of various conservative sereotypes out of spite that he has been exiled from the reasonable.

    • 2 years ago
  • freecrack
    • 0
      freecrack  
    • libertyforall:

      actualy terrorising a person, people,or groups of people are acts of terrorism.and when we send our airforce to drop ordanance on people who have never seen a plane before it certainly qualifies.

    • 2 years ago
  • freecrack
  • KSirys
    • +1
      KSirys  
    • freecrack:

      he likes to do that to make you doubt yourself.... trust me... he's done it in the past and everyone has caught on to the bullshit! just leave him alone... let's hope someone picks him up and saves him!

    • 2 years ago
  • freecrack
  • treewolf39
    • +1
      treewolf39  
    • freecrack:

      Not jj. This is a large country and amazingly so many just say what they are told instead of turning on to what it is like to be in a given situation. Know thy self for real.

    • 2 years ago
  • MotherForTruth
  • MotherForTruth
  • libertyforall
    • 0
      libertyforall  
    • treewolf39:

      Sorry, simply saying "you're wrong" doesn't make it so.

      You've used opinion as your evidence. I've used the actual definition of terrorism, used by terrorist experts throughout the world, as well as the State Department, as my evidence.

      I'll let readers choose which evidence to believe.

    • 2 years ago
  • Juas
    • +2
      Juas  
    • libertyforall:

      why not?

      ter·ror·ism [ter-uh-riz-uhm]
      –noun

      1. The use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes. - CHECK

      2. The state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization. - CHECK

      3. A terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government. - CHECK

      where are you getting your definitions?
      This is not about a dead grampa. This is about the systematic assassination of thousands of civilians.

    • 2 years ago
  • libertyforall
  • KSirys
  • freecrack
  • KSirys
  • Omnomynous
    • +6
      Omnomynous  
    • What our "heroes" are killing the elderly for no apparent reason?

      Say it ain't so...

      Wait these can't be same heroes that are; torturing animals, renting the anuses of middle eastern prostitutes (when they are not raping them), bullying children, shooting unarmed civilians, then coming home so warped they end up killing a few more people?

    • 2 years ago
  • ScottyT
  • freecrack
  • treewolf39
  • freecrack
    • +3
      freecrack  
    • treewolf39:

      its the satire our culture is some how lacking.
      how did we go from saturday night live being counter culture to present day.we have sold free speech.infomania and the daily show are like the last two endevours to point out our own idiocy.

      the guys who made this stuff also made liberal mockery, just a lil less funny as the left doesnt provide as much material.

    • 2 years ago
  • CalgarC
  • freecrack
  • treewolf39
  • freecrack
  • treewolf39
  • freecrack
    • +1
      freecrack  
    • treewolf39:

      ive had my fill, and i know exactly what is done by all of us, islamic fundamentalists,zionist hardliners, western capitalists,despotic theocracies.after a while a pattern emerges and each incident is just a sick parody of its predicesor.
      im in awe we havent destroyed ourselves as a species yet, or at least learned from the bazillion times we do this its ramafications always out live its gains.

      we want a free democratic iraq?really do we?what would a functioning iraq complete with a military force look like for the west who shit all over them, a desired goal or a repeat of giving the store to bin laden in the 80s.

    • 2 years ago
  • artemis6

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