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Updates: At least 3700 Afghani Civilians KIlled by US Bombs!
3,500 Civilians Killed in Afghanistan by U.S. Bombs
University of New Hampshire Economics Professor Releases Study of Civilian
Casualties in Afghanistan Monday Morning on Democracy Now! Radio/TV Show
University of New Hampshire Economics Professor Releases Study of Civilian
Casualties in Afghanistan Monday Morning on Democracy Now! Radio/TV Show
**Updates: At least 3700 Afghani Civilians KIlled by US Bombs!
**Also: Unicef Says Afghan Children Need Immediate Aid to Survive
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 10, 2001
10:00 AM
CONTACT: Marc Herold
Marc Herold (603) 862-3375
Andrea Buffa (510) 839-8911
3,500 Civilians Killed in Afghanistan by U.S. Bombs
University of New Hampshire Economics Professor Releases Study of Civilian
Casualties in Afghanistan Monday Morning on Democracy Now! Radio/TV Show
DURHAM, NEW HAMPSHIRE - December 10 - More than 3,500 civilians have been
killed in Afghanistan by U.S. bombs, according to a study to be released
December 10 by Marc W. Herold, Professor of Economics, International
Relations, and Women's Studies at the University of New Hampshire. Professor
Herold will announce his findings on Monday, December 10 in a discussion
with
award-winning journalist, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! in Exile's War and
Peace Report (http://www.democracynow.org).
**Link to the DN! Report:
http://stream.realimpact.org/rihurl.ram?file=webactive/exile/dn20011210.ra&sta
rt="9:53.7"
Professor Herold has been gathering data on civilian casualties since October
7 by culling information from news agencies, major newspapers, and first-hand
accounts. "I decided to do the study because I suspected that the modern
weaponrywas not what it was advertised to be. I was concerned that there
would be significant civilian casualties caused by the bombing, and I was
able to find some mention of casualties in the foreign press but almost
nothing in the U.S. press," said Herold.
Herold's data is available at: http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mwherold/ (On MS
Excel spread sheet format) or
MS Word Format: http://www.democracynow.org/thndtrmb.doc
For each day since October 7, when the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan began, he
lists the number of casualties, location, type of weapon used, and source(s)
of information. Following are several examples from his daily calculations:
* On October 11, two U.S. jets bombed the mountain village of Karam,
comprised of 60 mud houses, during dinner and evening prayer time, killing
100-160 people. Sources: DAWN, (English language Pakistani daily newspaper),
the Guardian of London, the Independent, International Herald Tribune, the
Scotsman, the Observer, and the BBC News.
* On October 13, in the early morning, an F-18 dropped 2,000 lb. JDAM bombs
on the Qila Meer Abas neighborhood, 2 kms. South of the Kabul airport,
killing four people. Sources: Afghan Islamic Press, Los Angeles Times,
Frontier Post, Pakistan Observer, the Guardian of London, and the BBC News.
* On October 31, in a pre-dawn raid, an F-18 dropped a 2,000 lb. JDAM bomb
on a Red Crescent clinic, killing 15 - 25 people. Sources: DAWN, the Times of
London, the Independent, the Guardian, Reuters, Associated Press, and Agence
France Presse.
Professor Herold has sought whenever possible to cross-corroborate accounts
of civilian casualties. He relied upon British, Canadian, and Australian
newspapers; Indian newspapers, especially The Times of India; three Pakistani
daily newspapers; the Singapore News; Afghan Islamic Press; Agence France
Press; Pakistan News Service; Reuters; BBC News Online; Al Jazeera; and a
variety of other reputable sources, including the United Nations and other
relief agencies.
The Pentagon has repeatedly denied reports of civilian casualties in
Afghanistan, and most U.S. media outlets have qualified their reports of
casualties with the statement "could not be independently confirmed." But
Professor Herold has been able to confirm the number of casualties and has
found that the number is climbing toward 4,000. "People have to know that
there is a human cost to war, and that this is a war with thousands of
casualties," said Herold. "These were poor people to begin with, and, on top
of that, they had absolutely nothing to do with the events of September 11."
==================================================
Unicef Says Afghan Children Need Immediate Aid to
Survive
by Elizabeth Olson
Published on Sunday, December 9, 2001 in the New
York Times
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/1209-02.htm
GENEVA, Dec. 8 — The executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund
says that the organization is striving to provide the basics of food and
water to ensure the survival of an estimated 1.5 million children in
Afghanistan who
are at the greatest risk.
"The basics are the primary issue," said Carol Bellamy, Unicef's executive
director, who stopped in Geneva on Friday on her way from a trip to Pakistan
and Afghanistan to assess the needs of the estimated 10 million children in
the country. The neediest are 1.5 million children under 5 years old, of
which 150,000 are considered seriously malnourished, she said.
Ms. Bellamy said their needs included food, water, winter clothes, blankets
and heated tents in a region that had been hit hard by conflict, drought,
disease and displacement. "With winter arriving in Afghanistan at the same
time as a new set of political circumstances come into view, this is a
crucial time," she said in an interview.
"As we plan for the reconstruction of the country's education system, health
care network and other basic services for children, we cannot forget the
immediate needs that must be met over the next difficult months."
Poverty and malnutrition among children has been made worse by the
displacement inside the country, Ms. Bellamy said. "This movement to the
borders has increased the risk of exposure, and the greater potential of
encountering land mines," she
said. Afghanistan is one of the world's most heavily mined countries.
Unicef is moving ahead with its immunization programs, having completed a
drive to protect children against polio, which is still found in Afghanistan.
A campaign to vaccinate against measles started last week in camps of
internally displaced people in the north of the country. This is crucial, Ms.
Bellamy said, because preventable
diseases kill one in four Afghan children before age 5.
Eventually, Unicef, which has operated in Afghanistan since 1949, will focus
on the
country's shattered education system, Ms. Bellamy said. The last 20 years of
turmoil and conflict have left only 25 percent of the men and 5 percent of
women literate.
The agency has sponsored some home-based schools, an alternative for girls
who were not permitted to attend school under the Taliban. Ms. Bellamy said
that she visited a school in Kabul last week, and found that the number of
children attending such schools had skyrocketed, and that they now included
boys, too.
"Though the school year starts at the end of March, parents are so eager to
send their kids to school, to give them a safe place to spend a few hours a
day, that they send them to these schools," she said.
She said she would be seeking support to subsidize the salaries of teachers
returning to public schools.
Lee Siu Hin
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
Peace, No War!
War is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate!
Please visit our global antiwar information, resource site:
http://www.Peace.NoWar.net
**Also: Unicef Says Afghan Children Need Immediate Aid to Survive
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 10, 2001
10:00 AM
CONTACT: Marc Herold
Marc Herold (603) 862-3375
Andrea Buffa (510) 839-8911
3,500 Civilians Killed in Afghanistan by U.S. Bombs
University of New Hampshire Economics Professor Releases Study of Civilian
Casualties in Afghanistan Monday Morning on Democracy Now! Radio/TV Show
DURHAM, NEW HAMPSHIRE - December 10 - More than 3,500 civilians have been
killed in Afghanistan by U.S. bombs, according to a study to be released
December 10 by Marc W. Herold, Professor of Economics, International
Relations, and Women's Studies at the University of New Hampshire. Professor
Herold will announce his findings on Monday, December 10 in a discussion
with
award-winning journalist, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! in Exile's War and
Peace Report (http://www.democracynow.org).
**Link to the DN! Report:
http://stream.realimpact.org/rihurl.ram?file=webactive/exile/dn20011210.ra&sta
rt="9:53.7"
Professor Herold has been gathering data on civilian casualties since October
7 by culling information from news agencies, major newspapers, and first-hand
accounts. "I decided to do the study because I suspected that the modern
weaponrywas not what it was advertised to be. I was concerned that there
would be significant civilian casualties caused by the bombing, and I was
able to find some mention of casualties in the foreign press but almost
nothing in the U.S. press," said Herold.
Herold's data is available at: http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mwherold/ (On MS
Excel spread sheet format) or
MS Word Format: http://www.democracynow.org/thndtrmb.doc
For each day since October 7, when the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan began, he
lists the number of casualties, location, type of weapon used, and source(s)
of information. Following are several examples from his daily calculations:
* On October 11, two U.S. jets bombed the mountain village of Karam,
comprised of 60 mud houses, during dinner and evening prayer time, killing
100-160 people. Sources: DAWN, (English language Pakistani daily newspaper),
the Guardian of London, the Independent, International Herald Tribune, the
Scotsman, the Observer, and the BBC News.
* On October 13, in the early morning, an F-18 dropped 2,000 lb. JDAM bombs
on the Qila Meer Abas neighborhood, 2 kms. South of the Kabul airport,
killing four people. Sources: Afghan Islamic Press, Los Angeles Times,
Frontier Post, Pakistan Observer, the Guardian of London, and the BBC News.
* On October 31, in a pre-dawn raid, an F-18 dropped a 2,000 lb. JDAM bomb
on a Red Crescent clinic, killing 15 - 25 people. Sources: DAWN, the Times of
London, the Independent, the Guardian, Reuters, Associated Press, and Agence
France Presse.
Professor Herold has sought whenever possible to cross-corroborate accounts
of civilian casualties. He relied upon British, Canadian, and Australian
newspapers; Indian newspapers, especially The Times of India; three Pakistani
daily newspapers; the Singapore News; Afghan Islamic Press; Agence France
Press; Pakistan News Service; Reuters; BBC News Online; Al Jazeera; and a
variety of other reputable sources, including the United Nations and other
relief agencies.
The Pentagon has repeatedly denied reports of civilian casualties in
Afghanistan, and most U.S. media outlets have qualified their reports of
casualties with the statement "could not be independently confirmed." But
Professor Herold has been able to confirm the number of casualties and has
found that the number is climbing toward 4,000. "People have to know that
there is a human cost to war, and that this is a war with thousands of
casualties," said Herold. "These were poor people to begin with, and, on top
of that, they had absolutely nothing to do with the events of September 11."
==================================================
Unicef Says Afghan Children Need Immediate Aid to
Survive
by Elizabeth Olson
Published on Sunday, December 9, 2001 in the New
York Times
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/1209-02.htm
GENEVA, Dec. 8 — The executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund
says that the organization is striving to provide the basics of food and
water to ensure the survival of an estimated 1.5 million children in
Afghanistan who
are at the greatest risk.
"The basics are the primary issue," said Carol Bellamy, Unicef's executive
director, who stopped in Geneva on Friday on her way from a trip to Pakistan
and Afghanistan to assess the needs of the estimated 10 million children in
the country. The neediest are 1.5 million children under 5 years old, of
which 150,000 are considered seriously malnourished, she said.
Ms. Bellamy said their needs included food, water, winter clothes, blankets
and heated tents in a region that had been hit hard by conflict, drought,
disease and displacement. "With winter arriving in Afghanistan at the same
time as a new set of political circumstances come into view, this is a
crucial time," she said in an interview.
"As we plan for the reconstruction of the country's education system, health
care network and other basic services for children, we cannot forget the
immediate needs that must be met over the next difficult months."
Poverty and malnutrition among children has been made worse by the
displacement inside the country, Ms. Bellamy said. "This movement to the
borders has increased the risk of exposure, and the greater potential of
encountering land mines," she
said. Afghanistan is one of the world's most heavily mined countries.
Unicef is moving ahead with its immunization programs, having completed a
drive to protect children against polio, which is still found in Afghanistan.
A campaign to vaccinate against measles started last week in camps of
internally displaced people in the north of the country. This is crucial, Ms.
Bellamy said, because preventable
diseases kill one in four Afghan children before age 5.
Eventually, Unicef, which has operated in Afghanistan since 1949, will focus
on the
country's shattered education system, Ms. Bellamy said. The last 20 years of
turmoil and conflict have left only 25 percent of the men and 5 percent of
women literate.
The agency has sponsored some home-based schools, an alternative for girls
who were not permitted to attend school under the Taliban. Ms. Bellamy said
that she visited a school in Kabul last week, and found that the number of
children attending such schools had skyrocketed, and that they now included
boys, too.
"Though the school year starts at the end of March, parents are so eager to
send their kids to school, to give them a safe place to spend a few hours a
day, that they send them to these schools," she said.
She said she would be seeking support to subsidize the salaries of teachers
returning to public schools.
Lee Siu Hin
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
Peace, No War!
War is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate!
Please visit our global antiwar information, resource site:
http://www.Peace.NoWar.net
For more information:
http://www.PeaceNoWar.net
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
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not sure that that research method would yield terribly accurate results. quite frankly, such information will be difficult to get in the short-term.
what might be useful is to compare the afghan war with the kosovo bombing campaign, mainly compare tonnage dropped, concentration of civilian populations, etc.
that would probably make for a more accurate report, although i have yet to hear of anyone doing so
PK
And even then, he'll still be questioning the purpose of Osama's training camps, the money transfers to the hi-jackers, the "mysterious" captured training manual, the thousand of material and eye-witness accounts, the security camera video captures, the documents found in apartments and cars used by the hi-jackers, Osama's own statements, the Al-Queda leadership's statements and published goals, the hundreds of corroborating statements implicating Al-Queda made by terrorists investigated by overseas police forces in over 20 countrie etc... etc...
Only when Osama or one of his top 2 lieutenants personally informs Nessie of their intention to destroy America and culpability in the 2001 WTC attacks will he believe it. Unfortunately, the vast majority of us cannot and will not wait that long.
Is the proof in those cases against Al Queda irrelevant?
quite frankly nessie it is impossible to reason with you. one can prevent excellent data showing that things are getting better in the world, and your only retort is that the UN Development Program is somehow tied to the vast mechanism of the US. (incidentally, a ridiculously stupid claim to anyone who knows anything about the UNDP or its history)
then you start talking about the US causing earthquakes in afghanistan in order to kill taliban.
utterly ridiculous.
as tim said, its a good thing that cranks like you are relegated to the status of laughing-stocks rather then actually having to form any policy.
actually, you probably couldn't make policy even if you tried, as every policy-debate i've had with you has degenerated into you making purely emotional appeals and completely ignoring any of the actual substance of the issues
Might does not mean right Tim.
Jon's suggestion sounds pretty ridiculous. Jon, can you give statistics on population density of Afghanistan vs. population density of Kosovo? Tonnage of bombs? hahaha.
The facts are obvious: the US government and US corporate media is not reporting all of the civilian deaths. That's the least conclusion you can draw from this. Which is unsettling to Jon, since he routinely posts that rumsfeld has the golden truth.
The historical precedent for this is also there. During Vietnam, the US didnt even accurately report friendly deaths. Many of the worst US atrocities didnt come out for years (and even decades) later. We should *learn* from our mistakes, not repeat them. People like Jon who just nod their head and accept whatever the government tells them ... well, they have the worst methodology of them all.
Why should I even attempt to disprove your statements when they illustrate a fundamental lack of reason?
You know, when you're accused of murder with sufficient probably cause in this country-- you are arrested and put in jail pending trial...sometimes there is an opportunity to post bail, but rarely when it involves mass murder. One does not need a conviction in order to make an arrest...in each of the cases I mentioned there has been an INTERNATIONAL INDICTMENT (do you know what an indictment is-- and what it takes to issue one under international law?) for the arrest of Al Queda operatives. Each of these indictments have been 9/11enforced by international law and some have resulted in conviction. You ignore these details and cast about generalisations about lack of proof that obfuscate the issue at hand which is that there is a STANDING INDICTMENT (PRE-9/11) FOR BIN LADEN, and the Taliban refused to honor it, choosing war instead.
The WTC attack only accelerated our enforcement of this existing indictment, as we had "credible evidence" of his involvement in these latest attacks on America. However, proof is irrelevant in this case due to *pre-existing* proof and standing indictments. Now, surely an indictment will be handed down for Bin Laden and his cohorts for the 9/11 WTC attack as we gather evidence and make a case.
There is a rule of law, and it requires the weight of evidence to sway systems of justice toward an indictment. If you simply mistrust the Judicial system wholesale (US and International), then I'm afraid your arguments are not debatable-- you simply don't believe in the rule of law, which is the foundation of every free and just society.
In any case, there seems to be little use in discussing issues with you, as you are incapable of viewing both sides of an argument anchored by reason. You can only twist facts to fit your opinion and tear down arguments of others based on these facts...anyone can do that. Try moving a step beyond...to a critical thinking stage.
Don't pick lines out of my response and try to counter each and every one out of context. Try responding to my overall argument, presenting a rational case against it.
The fact is that the bombs threaten to kill far more civilians indirectly than directly. The simple act of fleeing bombs is killing many -- especially the young and old -- who are too weak to withstand the hardship of migration. International aid agencies are reporting that the situation continues to be drastic, with many perishing in refugee camps from lack of food and medical attention. The bombings have created chaos in many regions of Afghanistan and, counter to the claims of the US media weeks ago, distribution of food fell of dramatically after the Northern Alliance took Mazar-e-Sharif for this reason.
The following pieces are relevant:
http://zmag.org/herold.htm
http://zmag.org/dillon.htm
http://zmag.org/lamb.htm
Many people say save the women and children! Many woman get forced into places to where they get shot. The taliban will set women and children into buildings and then run off and unfortunatly they get bombed because they were put strategically in the way by some damn sand hugger who only cares about himself. Let me assure you, there are no real civilians in Afganistan when it comes to other countries. 3rd world countries live like scavangers, their people die of starvation because their govt. is so much of an asshole (like Saddam) that they don't give a damn about their people.
War is the way it is. Civilians will die in war, its inevitable. What about the fact that we stormed Germany in WW2, we killed many German civilians during bombing raids. But back then soldiers were respected, because people of the U.S. realized that if it weren't for them, we wouldn't have our freedom, now it's a bunch of damn complaining liberals that spit in the militaries faces like they did in Vietnam. Afganistan is 1 shithole to begin with, the people there have nothing to lose in killing people, and no they aren't savages, or barbarians, they are just so brainwashed by their religion of dying from war and having 42 virgins in heaven waiting for them, that they don't care about anything but themselves. The people in Afganistan don't have the freedoms like we do, obviously, they can't excercise religious freedom, or free speech, this damn dictator in Iraq controls them like little cattle, they don't have choices.
My point is that people will die in war, it sucks but thats the way it is.
1. Osama Bin Laden and his murderers carried out the most dastardly attack against the peaceful nation of America Sep. 11th 2001 since the attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7th 1941.
2. George Bush declared war against terrorism. A war that has had some success so far.
3. We the people elected the president to office through fair election process. Remember, even though the results of the election was close, Al Gore did concede that he was the loser. Fair and square.
4. Calling George Bush a racist because of his stance against affirmative action is way off base. There are as many arguments saying that affirmative action oppresses poor white people while raising the standards of poor black people. Also, he did tell Trent Lott to opologize to the American people for his "racist comments."
5. Sadam Hussein has used weapons of mass destruction against his own people with no outrage from the peacenick groups in America. What about the rights of these people?
6. Alkida operatives have been rounded up and captured for future interogation for the protection of innocent people world wide.
7. Talking of overthrow of a presidential administration by saying "kick the racist dogs out!" is a treasonous act against the people of the United States of America.
8. Where are the labor unions when workers in America continue to work without health insurance, sick leave , and vacations? When they work for poor wages and poor and unsafe working conditions? What about the rights of these people of all races? Who speaks out for them?
9. What about the exploitation of the poor people of Mexico, our neigbors to the south, who speaks out for their civil rights.
10. White people are people too. What about their civil rights? Who speaks for the white race? Many poor white people are exploited every day by corporate America in the workplace every day.
11. "America" Love it or Leave it!