Mission Undermined By Afghan Civilian Deaths

Unlike the so-called friendly fire incident of 2002, in which U.S. aircraft mistakenly killed four Canadian soldiers, this was not a case of negligence. This time, the coalition commanders were targeting a specific village, Azizi, that Canadian Forces spokesman Maj. Scott Lundy called a "known Taliban stronghold."

The fact that some innocents died was regrettable but militarily acceptable — a cost of war.

Given that coalition troops are waging a counter-insurgency campaign against forces that are mixed throughout, and, at some level, supported by the civilian population, these deaths were also inevitable.

Toronto Star [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on May 30, 2006]

Note: Toronto Star