59 Children Among the Dead in "Religion of Peace" Blast

[Christians4LessGvt]

Afghan suicide attack killed 59 children, ministry confirms

Associated Press
Friday November 9, 2007



A suicide attack in northern Afghanistan earlier this week killed 59 schoolchildren and wounded 96 others, the education ministry said today.

The schoolchildren were lined up to greet a group of lawmakers visiting a sugar factory in the northern province of Baghlan on Tuesday when a suicide bomber detonated explosives.

In total, at least 75 people were killed, including several parliamentarians.

The 59 schoolchildren, aged eight to 18, and five teachers were among those killed in the attack, said Zahoor Afghan, a ministry spokesman.

The attack was the deadliest in the country since the removal of the Taliban regime from power in the 2001 US-led invasion.

"The education minister has ordered that no children should be ever again be used in these sort of events," Mr Afghan said.

The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, declared three days of mourning on Wednesday and ordered an investigation. No group has claimed responsibility, and the Taliban has denied any involvement.

Nato and Afghan troops, meanwhile, battled Taliban fighters near Gulistan district, in western Farah province, today.

The soldiers seized the district centre after it was overrun by militants last week, said Bariyalai Khan, the spokesman for the provincial police chief.

In southern Zabul province, Taliban militants on motorbikes ambushed and killed Shahjoy's district chief and two of his bodyguards yesterday, said Mohammad Rasool Khan, a district police chief.

The victims were shopping in a market when four militants on two motorbikes shot them dead, Mr Khan said.

US-led coalition forces and Afghan troops, meanwhile, clashed with Taliban insurgents in southern Helmand province's Nahr Surk district on Wednesday, leaving several militants dead, a coalition statement said.

The joint force was conducting a reconnaissance patrol near the district when insurgents fired on them with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms, the statement said.

"The combined force immediately engaged the Taliban fighters with small-arms fire and close air support, killing many of the insurgents before they fled the area," it said.

Violence in Afghanistan this year has been the deadliest since the Taliban was ousted. More than 5,700 people, mostly militants, have died so far this year in insurgency-related violence, according to an Associated Press count based on figures from Afghan and western officials.

[Michael Tee]

Jeeze, if they do that another 10,000 times, they'll have killed about 600,000 children - - bringing them ahead of the 500,000 Iraqi children killed as a result of the US-planned embargo of Iraq before the invasion.  Then another 10,000 times and they'll have killed about as many children as were killed in the U.S. war on Viet Nam. 

Yes, I can see that those Muslims ("religion of peace," hah!) are very bad people.  Very bad people.   No respect for the lives of children.  Terrible, isn't it?

[BT]

I heard that the Lancet was going to publish an estimate of 590k dead based on extrapolations from this one attack. Some new statistical model or something.

[Michael Tee]

Ain't it terrible.  And if the bomb had been from an American plane, the Pentagon would have reported 59 terrorist ringleaders killed.

[BT]

Yeah i know. If the bomb had been from an american plane the Lancet would have reported it as genocide.

New Math.

[Christians4LessGvt]

nice try
huge difference
it's called intent
in today's world the Islamist target innocent civilians
in fact anyone that is not Muslim is a "target"
dont believe it?
watch video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maHSOB2RFm4&mode=related&search=

[Michael Tee]

<<in today's world the Islamist target innocent civilians
in fact anyone that is not Muslim is a "target">>

Whereas the nice Americans, who don't "target" any civilians at all, just plan wars in which millions of them unfortunately happen to die.  By accident, of course.   Which makes a HUGE difference to the victims and their families.  Just ask any bereaved parent.

[Richpo64]

>> ... just plan wars in which millions of them unfortunately happen to die. ...<<

Wow. Now it's millions.

These kinds of lies just get tiresome. America is THE force for liberty in the world today, as his has been for most of the twentieth century. That's not to say that other countries join us in the cause of liberty, they have. Even Canada does the right thing most of the time. I guess some folks just hate winners because they are obviously such losers.

[The_Professor]

Jeeze, if they do that another 10,000 times, they'll have killed about 600,000 children - - bringing them ahead of the 500,000 Iraqi children killed as a result of the US-planned embargo of Iraq before the invasion.  Then another 10,000 times and they'll have killed about as many children as were killed in the U.S. war on Viet Nam. 

Yes, I can see that those Muslims ("religion of peace," hah!) are very bad people.  Very bad people.   No respect for the lives of children.  Terrible, isn't it?

MT, your rant here is of no substance. Are you actually condoning this horrible act? Referencing other places and other acts do not lessen the severity of this one, does it?

You keep mentioning how terrible America is, but , guess what? You can be just as terrible by doing nothing or little as Canada seems to do. Canada not reaching out? Naw, tell me it ain't true...

[The_Professor]

Ain't it terrible.  And if the bomb had been from an American plane, the Pentagon would have reported 59 terrorist ringleaders killed.

Again, you misdirect. This suiciide bomber was not American, probably, anyway, so why keep deflecting to the U.S. This is an act by a coward. Targeting children is abominable. Surely you agree with that, do you not?

[Michael Tee]

<<Wow. Now it's millions.>>

Yeah, you got it.   TWO million in Viet Nam alone, half a million CHILDREN in the Iraq embargo, and 100,000 to 600,000 in Iraq to date.  Plus throw-aways like the 2,500 killed in the bombing of Panama City, half a million in the CIA coup in Indonesia, God alone knows how many in the Shah of Iran's torture chambers or the torture chambers of Latin America (all bought and paid for by the U.S.A.) and, geeze, forgetful schmuck that I am, I'm sure I must have overlooked other slaughters, massacres and tortures that the world's great "benefactor" has conferred on some lucky individuals somewhere else on this great big planet of ours.

<<These kinds of lies just get tiresome. America is THE force for liberty in the world today, as his has been for most of the twentieth century. >>

What gets REALLY tiresome, Rich, is this endless stream of bullshit that the U.S.A. is "THE" force for liberty in the world.  Tell that to the Iranians, whose families perished in the Shah's torture chambers, tell it to the Guatemalans or the Chileans or the Argentinians or the Palestinians or the Salvadorenos or the Uruguayans.   Do you REALLY think your bullshit is fooling ANYBODY?

<<That's not to say that other countries join us in the cause of liberty, they have. >>

If you're talking post-war, show us ONE instance where the U.S. went to bat for "liberty," and if you can (which I seriously doubt) I'll show you TWO where they subverted and overthrew a democratically elected government.  If you are talking WWII, nobody "joined you" in the cause of liberty.  You were a little late to the party - - you joined US.

<<Even Canada does the right thing most of the time.>>

Like you'd know "the right thing" if it came up and bit you on the ass.

<<I guess some folks just hate winners because they are obviously such losers.>>

No, some folks just hate people who cause the needless deaths of millions of unoffending human beings and lie about why they're doing it because they're hateful individuals.  Some folks just because they are good, solid, decent human beings, hate people who operate torture chambers all over the planet and try to hide them from the public eye.  Some folks just hate:  liars, fascists, torturers, murderers, rapists and all their supporters and protectors. 

BTW, "Winner," that title usually is reserved for those who actually win their battles.   I still believe in the long run the Arabs will kick your ass just like the Vietnamese before them.  Whatever gave you the idea you were a winner?

[Michael Tee]

And a reply to the Professor:

no of course I don't condone an attack targeting children.  It goes without saying that the attack was reprehensible.

My remarks were directed at the unbelievable hypocrisy of our friend, who condemns the killing of 59 children but remains supportive of the totally unjustifiable war which has killed hundreds of thousands of children.  The argument that non-targeted killings are OK while targeted killings are not is ludicrous.  If you plan and execute a war such as this, it is inconceivable that it could be conducted without massive civilian casualties.  That the civilian casualties are unintended, or even that steps were taken to minimize them is irrelevant - - it was known or should have been known from the outset that civilian casualties on this scale were a likely by-product of the war, and the decision was taken to go forward anyway.  To the victims, of course, dead is dead - - the issue of targeting or not targeting them is an almost comical irrelevancy. 

If the men who carried out the latest attack have the blood of 59 innocent children on their hands - - and they do - - they are guilty of the massacre of 59 innocent children.  The guilt of the American architects of the war, and their agents, the U.S. military, stands at many, many times higher than that.

Canada, BTW, does not "stand on the sidelines."  We participated in the invasion of Afghanistan, and I supported that invasion, at least at the beginning, because they allowed their territory to be used to launch an attack on our neighbour.  It would have been extremely foolish NOT to have retaliated.  What I'm not comfortable with now is the open-ended nature of the committment.  I can see that there are limits to the punishment that we can impose on the Taliban, simply because, at bottom, Taliban is just an idea, and an army can't kill an idea.  There will always be Taliban in Afghanistan, it's a self-renewing idea and new Taliban appear in the ranks from the coming generations. 

I think it's time to set out clear objectives, set a timetable, do what little we can and then pull out - - sooner rather than later - - with a stern warning that the next time a 9-11 is launched from Afghanistan, they'll be nuked back to scorched earth with not even an insect left alive.  Not that anyone would ever do such a thing.  The best real protection the U.S. could ever hope to have would be by a combination of (a) radical changes in foreign policy, i.e., cut Israel loose to solve its own problems with its neighbours and quit propping up repressive dictatorships such as (but not exclusively) Egypt and (b) improved airport and other public area security.

[Richpo64]

>>Yeah, you got it.   TWO million in Viet Nam alone, half a million CHILDREN in the Iraq embargo, and 100,000 to 600,000 in Iraq to date.<<

Are you sure it's not 4 million in Vietnam? 1 million Iraqi children? 2 million Iraqis? I mean if you're going to lie, why not lie big? By the way, where are all the dead bodies in Iraq? Anybody seen them? I mean, 2 million bodies wouldn't be hard to find.  I'm sure MSDNC would love to get some pictures. Can you point them in the right direction? 

[Michael Tee]

<<Are you sure it's not 4 million in Vietnam? >>

Yeah, I am, Rich.  It's the figure I've seen most often in papers I respect, the Toronto Star, for example.

<<1 million Iraqi children? 2 million Iraqis?>>

No, half a million dead Iraqi kids is the commonly accepted figure.

<< I mean if you're going to lie, why not lie big?>>

I'm not you, Rich, so I don't feel the need to "lie big."  For example, I LMFAO at your "three million dead in Nam after the Americans quit."  Really hilarious.  That's one good reason not to lie, and it's enough.  Not to appear like a moronic ass-hole quoting garbage out of sheer ignorance.

<<By the way, where are all the dead bodies in Iraq? Anybody seen them? I mean, 2 million bodies wouldn't be hard to find. >>

The two million bodies were in Viet Nam, not Iraq.   They're all over the country.  Where the fuck did you think they would be, lined up for morons like you to count?  You don't have enough fingers and toes.   You sound like you've been learning some tricks from your good mentors, the Nazis - -  "What Holocaust?  Where are the six million bodies? yuk, yuk, six million bodies wouldn't be hard to find." 

<<Cheesy >>

You got THAT right.

<<I'm sure MSDNC would love to get some pictures. Can you point them in the right direction?>>

Sure.  Here.  http://mindprod.com/politics/iraqwarpix.html  WARNING!  EXTREMELY GRAPHIC PHOTOS OF AMERICAN ATROCITIES posted at the request of one of their biggest fans.

[sirs]

How the hell is a war wound/death an "American Atrocity"?         Oh yea, gotta remember who's reality we're referring to.  In Tee's corner, ANY death is directly the fault of the U.S. & Bush