| Archive for bridgebuilder.myfreeforum.org bridgebuilding effort, cross culture, cross faith, not bridge construction |
| obmar |
After US Strike, Pakistani Kills HimselfAfter US Strike, Pakistani Kills HimselfBy Aamir Latif, IOL Correspondent A tribesman shows the wreckage of a missile at Shawal village. (Reuters) ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani elder took his own life after losing nine members of his immediate family in a recent US strike in the mountainous Shawal valley of Pakistan's troubled northern tribal belt near the Afghanistan border. "He shot himself dead in front of some 8-10 people hours after seeing the bodies of his family members," Pazir Khan, a neighbor who managed to escape the strike, told IslamOnline.net over telephone. Pikhawar Khan, 70, shot himself dead after nine members of his family, including his two sons, a daughter and three grandsons, were killed in a US raid on Saturday, June 23. "He was so disturbed, and kept crying and laughing…I can't explain his condition. He kept crying, and all of a sudden he started laughing loudly," Pazir recalled. "We did try to console him. Initially, his condition was not too bad, but after seeing the bodies of his grandsons, he lost his courage." Pazir said US helicopter gunships and aircraft attacked their mountainous Shawal valley. "Machinegun rounds and shells were fired from planes and helicopters, which shook the entire area. "Light-emitting balls hit our houses, but mainly his, leaving a heap of debris behind," he remembered. The neighbor said Pikhawar was not home at the time of attack and only one child of his family survived the American bombing. He added that a small restaurant was also hit by rockets, killing and injuring various people. Surrounded by untamable mountains, the forest-covered Shawal valley came under the spotlight in 2003 after US and Pakistani intelligence agencies claimed Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was hiding there. Coordinated The NATO-led force in Afghanistan admitted killing civilians in an operation against alleged militants in the area. "We regret the loss of innocent life and our prayers are with the families of those who died," said International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) spokesman Major John Thomas. He said the force had crossed the border mistakenly but the operation was conducted with the "coordination" of Pakistan Army, a claim immediately refuted. "The ISAF's spokesman's claim is incorrect," countered Pakistan Army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad. "I don't want to comment further on this issue. Pakistani government is contacting the concerned authorities in this connection." He said at least 10 people were killed and 14 wounded, seven of them seriously, when "a rocket fired by foreign forces hit their home." However, locals claim that at least 33 civilians were killed in the strike. Revenge Vows Professor Shamim Akhtar, a veteran security analyst, believes the strike is just a new episode of a long-running series. "It has been a routine affair that US aircraft trespass into Pakistani airspace with impunity, and no one is there to stop them," he told IOL. He argues that until the US leaves the region, there will be no decrease in extremism. "Until US and other foreign forces leave here, there is no chance of decline in growing phenomenon of the so-called extremism. In fact, US forces are the main reason of extremism in the region." A Wana-based journalist who visited the bombed-out area agreed. "Violation of Pakistani airspace by the allied jets and helicopters has become an order of the day," he told IOL, asking not to be named. "It's just that sometimes it is reported in the media, and sometimes not. But the area people, especially women and children, have been psychologically affected." He warned that the latest strike has only aggravated an already charged atmosphere and that revenge sentiments were running high. "Local people told me that various youths have vowed to conduct suicide attacks on allied troops operating just a few miles away from the area," he said. "Pushtuns never forget their revenge. They retaliate even after 100 years. The highly charged atmosphere against America is not merely religiously motivated." http://www.islamonline.net/servle...ename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout |
| The Inquisitor |
And when these young people commit their act of revenge for what the US military did to their village and their families, the US media will portray it as "another" attack by Al Qaeda terrorists. They will never make the connection between US atrocities and the retaliation that comes about as a result of these same atrocities.
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| obmar |
although two wrongs does not make it right/ |
| The Inquisitor |
Absolutely correct, obmar.
Two wrongs never make a right. We should condemn the first wrong and pray for help and guidance for those who commit it. I think Ghandi and Martin Luther King are some of the best examples of how to promote peace and peaceful understandings in violent times. and they both won huge battles in doing so. I still feel very sorry for the villager who lost everything and felt forced to commit suicide. I wish there was something I could do to right the wrong, but alas, there's nothing I can help with here. I can only speak out about atrocities already committed and those that are in the works. |
| obmar |
Human, when will we ever learn. |