Saturday October 13 5:02 PM ET

U.S. Bomb Misses Kabul Airport, Rips Into Houses

By Charles Aldinger

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy (news - web sites) F/A-18 attack aircraft missed a Taliban military target at Kabul airport on Saturday and the 2,000-pound ``smart'' bomb blasted civilian houses a mile away in the Afghan capital, the Pentagon (news - web sites) said

At least one man was killed and four injured in a neighborhood believed struck by the errant bomb, according to a Reuters report from the Afghan capital.

``We regret the loss of any civilian life,'' the Defense Department said in a statement after the bomb missed a military helicopter as U.S. warplanes struck for a seventh day against Afghanistan (news - web sites)'s ruling Taliban for harboring Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), blamed by Washington for Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.

One defense official, who asked not to be identified, indicated that the satellite-guided bomb apparently missed its target due to human error because incorrect coordinates for the position of the helicopter were entered into a targeting system.

The Pentagon stressed after the latest incident of civilian casualties on the ground in Afghanistan that U.S. forces ``take great care in their targeting process to avoid civilian casualties.''

The Navy F/A-18 flying from a U.S. aircraft carrier dropped the bomb at about 3 a.m. Afghan time (6:30 p.m. EDT Friday), the statement said.

'TARGETING PROCESS ERROR'

``Preliminary indications are that the accident occurred from a targeting process error,'' the statement added.

In a poor neighborhood near the airport on the outskirts of Kabul, Reuters reported that residents dug through the rubble of a damaged row of houses.

Although the Pentagon cited reports of as many as four dead and eight injured, the Reuters report said at least one man was killed and four injured.

The Taliban have charged that U.S. and British military strikes on the country have killed up to 300 or more civilians, including four workers who died earlier in the week when an errant cruise missile was believed to have hit a building used by the United Nations (news - web sites) for mine-clearing operations in Afghanistan.

Responding to reports of growing civilian casualties in Kabul and the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld conceded at a news conference on Thursday that satellite- and laser-guided smart bombs did not always work perfectly.

But he bitterly attacked the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan for accusing the Pentagon of intentionally targeting Afghan civilians.

``It comes with ill grace for the Taliban to be suggesting that we are doing what they have made a practice and a livelihood out of,'' the secretary said.

Defense officials, meanwhile, confirmed on Saturday that U.S. warplanes had in recent days bombed key Taliban military positions north of Kabul and had again bombed targets near Kabul and the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar overnight on Friday and on Saturday.

HERAT, JALALABAD ALSO BOMBED

Reports from the country also said that targets near Herat in western Afghanistan and Jalalabad in the east were also bombed.

Up to 5,000 or more Taliban troops are dug in against opposition Northern Alliance forces north of Afghanistan's capital.

But U.S. defense officials cautioned against speculation that Washington had began actively moving to open a path for the Northern Alliance to move on Kabul. Washington is now working to unite groups opposed to the Taliban.

President Bush (news - web sites) has declared a war on terrorism, including bin Laden's al Qaeda international network and countries that support anti-Western guerrilla attacks.

``We have disrupted the terrorist network inside Afghanistan,'' Bush said in his regular radio address to Americans on Saturday.

``American forces dominate the skies over Afghanistan and we will use that dominance to make sure terrorists can no longer freely use Afghanistan as a base of operations.''

As U.S. fighter jets resumed bombing Afghanistan after a brief respite for Friday's Muslim sabbath, the ruling Islamic purist Taliban flatly rejected Bush's offer to halt the strikes if they handed over the Saudi-born militant.

But Northern Alliance Foreign Minister Abdullah Adbullah told a news conference on Saturday that growing direct strikes against Taliban military forces had robbed Taliban fighters of the ability to launch counter-offensives. He said the number of Taliban military casualties could be ``hundreds, not dozens.''

-- (bombing overkill @ kills. civilians), October 14, 2001

Answers

Nagina, a 12-year-old Afghan girl, lies on a hospital bed in Kabul, October 13, 2001. Nagina and three of her neighbors were injured last night when a bomb hit their house and killed a 14-year-old girl. Hopes for a respite from U.S. led attacks on the Afghan capital Kabul came to nothing in the early hours of Saturday, as powerful explosions shattered the calm for a sixth straight night. REUTERS/Sayed Salahuddin

-- (an@innocent.victim), October 14, 2001.

An Afghan man Mahmoud lies on a hospital bed in Kabul after he sustained a fractured leg and minor injuries on his face when a U.S. aerial strike, October 13, 2001. Hopes for a respite from U.S. led attacks on the Afghan capital Kabul came to nothing in the early hours of Saturday, as powerful explosions shattered the calm for a sixth straight night. REUTERS/ Sayed Salahuddin

-- (an@innocent.victim), October 14, 2001.

Boo fuckin' hoo

-- War is Hell (they@started.it), October 14, 2001.

Whatever.

-- sp (StashP@arpa.net), October 14, 2001.

Lets see, that leaves about 5,500 innocent civilians or so to go, to get to near balancing the scales of justice? right?

-- Scarlet Breasted (scarletbreasted@hotmail.com), October 14, 2001.

It's tragic the Taliban and Bin Laden caused this to happen by murdering and then hiding behind them.

-- Eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), October 14, 2001.

Its tragic that the US caused this to happen by permanently moving troops into Saudi Arabia and providing arms to Israel.

-- Adam (discenting@opinion.com), October 14, 2001.

It's tragic also, Adam, that you didn't have the courage to protest the attack upon the USA on September 11th..... But that's okay, we'll overcome without your contribution!

-- Gary (gcphelps@yahoo.com), October 14, 2001.

Has someone told Nagina (the sorry ass girl in the photo) about the 5,000 dead people we are still digging out of the rubble in NYC???? I didn't think so!!

-- bleeding_heart_liberals (make_me@puke.com), October 14, 2001.

Maybe somebody could please show Mahmuad (the fool in the second photo) the bits and pieces of human remains they've been finding in NYC!!

-- enough! (remember@NYC.com), October 14, 2001.

There were a couple hundred thousand innocent victims of the 2 A-bombs dropped on Japan but in doing so 50,000 Marines were saved and that war ended shortly after. It's foolish to think this stuff won't happen so why even post it?

-- Boswell (fundown@thefarm.net), October 14, 2001.

I dont give a shit about them. Fuck "them"

They are the same breed that came here and killed HOW MANY AMERICANS????????

DO you liberals forget that.???

Fuck them. Let them all die.

oh boy.. a whole 8 people hurt or killed wow.. now lets subtract 8 from 7000 and see where we go.

FUCK PEACE... nuke em till they glow.

-- I dont care (no@cares.here), October 14, 2001.

Who cares. At least they HAVE SURVIVORS. We didnt have that option. We got bits of humans in collapsed buildings. Kill em all let allah sort em out.

-- (boom@darpa.mil.net), October 14, 2001.

I am shocked at the responses I read on this thread. Such anger, hostility.

This is not America. We have become as bad as the terrorists.

-- very sad (why do we hate @ innocent. people?), October 14, 2001.

Very Sad, why are you shocked at this reaction? This is the reaction of the MAJORITY of the people in this country. They are not only mad they are flat out pissed! Innocents get killed in any war, but our country and it's warriors overseas are NOT seeking out and killing the innocents on purpose like they did over here on the 11th. Maybe you should see the burnt rotting faceless corpse of the pretty secretary that worked on the 90th floor that fully expected to come home to her loving husband and children that evening. Maybe then you will feel differently. Why should we criticize ourselves for being over their or try to figure out why they are mad at us. Turn back the clock to 1941, Japan has just bombed us. My God, we need to take a look at this and find out why they are So Mad At Us! Jeesus H. Fucking Ceeehrist.

-- Boswell (fudown@thefarm.net), October 14, 2001.

Sorry Boswell, if you read more carefully, you'll see that the hatred and anger is not directed at the perpetrators, it is directed at the innocent people in these photos.

My instincts tell me that something is very wrong about that, we are as bad as the terrorists. Maybe it is our hateful attitudes that caused this to happen in the first place, thus we are responsible for what is happening.

-- very sad (erase@the.hate), October 14, 2001.

Actually Very Sad, we are mad at you for taking that view. Why don't you go to rotten.com and bring up the picture of the burned body which I'm guessing was probably taken recently in New York and put a post script underneath it and we'll see if you still retain that warm fuzzy feeling for the enemy that you hold in such high regard.

-- Boswell (fundown@thefarm.net), October 14, 2001.

Boswell,

I think you neglected to read my last post and the above responses, or at least neglected to think it through before you let your animal instincts take over.

I understand being mad at the enemy. But you still haven't explained why these ugly hateful individuals are so angry and unfair to the innocent victims posted above. Americans should be better than this.

-- very sad (think@before.spewing.hatred), October 14, 2001.

Very sad - please move over and let me sit next to you. Innocent victims are innocent victims no matter where they reside. The hostilities on this board should be directed towards the perpetrators and not the "collateral damage". I doubt very much that the young girl pictured above had anything to do with the 9-11 atrocity and I can't understand the mindset that takes joy in her misery. It sickens and saddens me.

-- Hatred (Accomplishes@Nothing.com), October 14, 2001.

My instincts tell me that something is very wrong about that, we are as bad as the terrorists. Maybe it is our hateful attitudes that caused this to happen in the first place, thus we are responsible for what is happening.

Of course, "we are as bad as the terrorists". Of course, "it is our hateful attitudes that caused this to happen in the first place".

If you had been around in 1942, would you have been apologizing for Japan's atrocities because poor Japan just wanted access to the natural recources that they did not have on the home islands?

Would you have been apologizing for Germany's atrocities because poor Germany just wanted pay-back for the oppressive, unfair reparations that had been forced on them by the Treaty of Versailles?

Moral equivalency. Ain't it grand?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), October 14, 2001.

because poor Japan just wanted access to the natural recources that they did not have on the home islands?

Kinda' like the poor U.S. just wanted access to the natural resources in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that they did not have on the home island, right, Lars?

-- TheDoor (Swings@Both.Ways), October 14, 2001.

Uh-heh, uh, I'm sorry Lars, it looks like you were addressing my post, but you must have me confused with someone else?

We were talking about the hateful responses posted on this toward the innocent victims pictured above.

You seem to have gone rambling off on some kind of gung-ho attempt to justify this because you are apparently still having flashbacks of Pearl Harbor?? Hellooooo, Earth to Lars! Wake up, that was 50 years ago, this is today!

I must conclude that either you were addressing someone else or you have gone completely senile or insane. Perhaps you should retreat to the other forum where everyone will agree with you, I think the stress over here is getting to you.

-- very sad (lars@off.deepend), October 14, 2001.

Adam,

"Its tragic that the US caused this to happen by permanently moving troops into Saudi Arabia and providing arms to Israel."

No -- these people would have been fine were it not for the terrorists' attack on New York -- which I'm sure they would have attacked in any case, as they hate us not primarily for what we've done in our foreign policy -- but for what we stand for: freedom, reason, tolerance, individual rights and capitalism.

Any focus on our foreign policy problems you might be hearing are only sound-bites to give the terrorists, death-lovers and freedom- haters some wafer-thin veneer of credibility.

-- Eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), October 14, 2001.

"Very sad"---

Actually Pearl Harbor was 60 years ago.

Maybe you are not one of those who try to justify WTC based on previous US actions. I thought that that is where you were coming from and, if so, would you have made equivalent rationalizations for Germany and Japan?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), October 14, 2001.

Perhaps you should retreat to the other forum where everyone will agree with you.

What "other forum" would that be? I have been here for over 2 years. I don't go to other forums except Poole's. Maybe you have been here too, but not under the handle "very sad".

The only place I want to retreat to is a bar "where everyone knows my name".

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), October 14, 2001.

"Maybe you are not one of those who try to justify WTC based on previous US actions. I thought that that is where you were coming from and, if so, would you have made equivalent rationalizations for Germany and Japan?"

You still don't get it. I was referring to the attitudes of those on THIS THREAD who expressed hateful remarks toward the victims posted in the pictures on THIS THREAD.

Gaaaawd, you are dense!

-- very sad (today@not.60.years.ago!), October 14, 2001.

So, you are not justifying terrorist attacks? Good, congratulations.

-- (dense is @ dense.does), October 14, 2001.

God Bless Hate. Hate rules. Hate builds and then anger takes over. We win with hate and lose with pacifisim. Lets hate and kill as many of those bastards that we can.

-- Bless (allah@holywar.com), October 14, 2001.

"So, you are not justifying terrorist attacks? Good, congratulations."

LOL!! I see nothing in this entire thread that says anything about terrorist attacks being justified. You must have been hallucinating!

Congratulations to you too dimwit, guess you finally figured THAT part out.

Now, are you justifying attacks on innocent victims, like those posted by the hateful people on this thread??? It certainly appears that way, since you keep changing the subject!

-- LMAO (people are @ sooooo. fucking dense!), October 14, 2001.

What's the difference?

Bin Ladin deliberately targeted
CIVILIANS; everything else was
"collateral damage" to HIM.

We targeted Osama Bin Ladin and
hit civilians by mistake -
because he's such a COWARD that
he hides among civilians,
FULLY KNOWING that doing so
will cause them to be hit.

(Let me know if I'm going too
fast here. Have a few pictures
to help refresh everyone's
memory ...)

-- Pictures (pictures@pix.net), October 14, 2001.

Does this excuse your ugly, hateful, subhuman, cowardly, ignorant, shameful, disgusting verbal attacks toward the innocent victims posted on this thread???? I DON'T

THINK SO!

NOT NOW,

NOT EVER!

You have proven yourself to be at least as bad as the terrorists, probably worse. Now go back to the scum pond you crawled out of, you filthy, disgusting, vile creature! You are no longer welcome in America, go burn in hell with the likes of Adolph Hitler.

-- burn in hell infidel sinner (you@are.disgusting), October 14, 2001.

-- BURN IN HELL (WITH YOUR @ BASTARD KING. DUMBYA), October 14, 2001.

FUCK EVER LAST MOTHER FUCKING RAG HEAD

IN THE WHOLE MOTHER FUCKING UNITED STATES BOMB AND DEPORT EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM NUKE THE WHOLE COUNTY THOSE BASTARDS KILLED PART OF MY FAMILY

-- (yeah@whatever.com), October 14, 2001.

-- BURN IN HELL (BASTARD KING @ AND. MURDERING SINNERS), October 14, 2001.

fuck arabs. Fuck terrorists, If we kill a few freaks over there so what. so the fuck what!

Fuck every last one of those assholes. Damn those bastards to hell and Bless the USA with enough bombs to do it.

I am so sick of pussy pacifists. Fuck every last afghanistan resident kill every last one of them. Show them what happens when you fuck with us

-- (as@you.were), October 14, 2001.

OH I'M SCARED! YOU TALK SO TUFF!!

TOO BAD YOU ARE A FAGGOT WITH A TINY PENIS WHICH YOU SUCK EVERY NIGHT BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO BALLS.

KILL INNOCENT WOMEN AND CHILDREN IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD TOUGH GUY! CALL THEM NAMES AND SPIT ON THEM, YOU CAN DO THAT BECAUSE YOU ARE SOOOO TUFF!!

YOUR JUDGEMENT DAY WILL COME, AND YOU WILL BURN IN HELL FOREVER!

-- YOU ARE A (SINNER @ KILLER. COWARD), October 15, 2001.

Fuck Em!

-- (this@says.it.all.com), October 15, 2001.

Fuck Em!

-- (this@says.it.all.com), October 15, 2001.

FANTASTIC! Bombs have been dropping there for over a week now, and those people are still living in the target zone!! Well, they were warned and our loved ones in the Twin Towers were not. So fuck'em all, either get out of the way or die. Why should these people be upset at what is happening to them? The will all go to heaven and fuck a few virigns. Death to them is a righteous act! Leave them be and we'll help them to obtain their righteousness sooner than later. Now let's all sing the Star Spangled Banner........

-- (fuckem&bombem'@reevenge.com), October 15, 2001.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

YOU HAVE JUST PROVEN WHAT AN IGNORANT PIECE OF SHIT YOU ARE, YOU THINK THAT ANYONE WITH DARK SKIN IS A TERRORIST.

YOU ARE WRONG, THE RULES HAVE CHANGED! ANYONE WHO IS A FAGGOT COWARD WITH NO BALLS IS A TERRORIST. WE ARE GOING TO KILL THEM ALL, AND WE'RE GOING TO START WITH YOU!!

BWAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAHA AAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAA!!! BWAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAHAAAAAAHAAAAHAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAHAHAA! !

-- (YOU ARE @ NEXT. TO BE KILLED), October 15, 2001.

Molon Labe mother fuckers... Molon Labe..

-- (hah@hah.com), October 15, 2001.

"Hey this killing arab things could really catch on!"

-- Chuck Schumer (cschumer@us.congress), October 15, 2001.

"Hey this killing arab things could really catch on!"

-- Chuck Schumer (cschumer@us.congress), October 15, 2001.

YOU'RE NEXT FAGGOT BOY.

WE'RE ON YOUR TRAIL AND WE'RE COMING.

-- BWAAAHAAAHAAAHAA! (SEE YOU @ IN. HELL!!), October 15, 2001.

-- BWAHAHAHA! (DIE@MUTHA.FUCKA!), October 15, 2001.

I remember September 11th very well and cannot forget. If you take great pleasure in the deaths of your fellow citizens, you are so fucking pathetic. How many children were aboard those planes that crashed? What do you suppose their terrified parents said to them just as the planes slammed into the targets?? I make no apologize for the way I feel, you explain to me, maggot, why I should feel pity for any asshole *over there*?

-- Gary (gcphelps@yahoo.com), October 15, 2001.

Gary.. could not have said it better. Thanks.. And they wonder why people are buying guns.. This war WILL end up on our shores.

-- (yes@yes.com), October 15, 2001.

And those who don't want to stick around to see it, well, I suggest they go back from wherever they came from. It's about time the sleepers here in America have woken up. Hell yeah, let's get it AWN!

-- (get@it.AWN), October 15, 2001.

-- Font (way@too.big), October 15, 2001.

Yuck..

And what a yucky thread.

-- lisa (lisa@library.now), October 15, 2001.

This thread is not yucky. It speaks volumes of truth. Perhaps you missed the pictures. Osama binlaid didnt give a flying filthy fuck about our people. Those sons of bitches are burning our flag, spitting on it and one of the basterds got burnt by doing so. I say Yip fucking E. We give them food, starving americans right here the motherfuckers feed it to their donkeys. They are starving but wont eat. They must not be too fucking hungry. They were warned that is more than what we got. You must not have had a family member in the towers or you would give a serious fuck. FUCK THE TOWEL HEADS SEND UM ALL BACK.

-- (fuck@the.towelheads), October 15, 2001.

Pardon me, I don't mean to shout, but, I take it then that you are in favor of the current military action and feel that it has been very effective?

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), October 15, 2001.

Very much in favor. But they should bomb the fucking donkeys eating our damn food. Will someone turn off the big fucking tag already.

-- (squaking@the.box), October 15, 2001.

-- BWAAHAAHA! (DIE@FUCKAS.DIE!), October 15, 2001.