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Military Declined to Bomb Group of Taliban at Funeral
By LOLITA C. BALDOR, AP

WASHINGTON (Sept. 14) - The U.S. military acknowledged Wednesday that it considered bombing a group of more than 100 Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan but decided not to after determining they were on the grounds of a cemetery.




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The decision came to light after an NBC News correspondent's blog carried a photograph of the insurgents. Defense department officials first tried to block further publication of the photo, then struggled to explain what it depicted.

NBC News claimed U.S. Army officers wanted to attack the ceremony with missiles carried by an unmanned Predator drone but were prevented under rules of battlefield engagement that bar attacks on cemeteries.

In a statement released Wednesday, the U.S. military in Afghanistan said the picture - a grainy black-and-white photo taken in July - was given to a journalist to show that Taliban insurgents were congregating in large groups. The statement said U.S. forces considered attacking.

"During the observation of the group over a significant period of time, it was determined that the group was located on the grounds of (the) cemetery and were likely conducting a funeral for Taliban insurgents killed in a coalition operation nearby earlier in the day," the statement said. "A decision was made not to strike this group of insurgents at that specific location and time."

While not giving a reason for the decision, the military concluded the statement saying that while Taliban forces have killed innocent civilians during a funeral, coalition forces "hold themselves to a higher moral and ethical standard than their enemies."

The photo shows what NBC News says are 190 Taliban militants standing in several rows near a vehicle in an open area of land. Gunsight-like brackets were positioned over the group in the photo.


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The photo appeared on NBC News correspondent Kerry Sanders' blog. Initially military officials called it an unauthorized release, but they later said it was given to the journalist.

NBC News had quoted one Army officer who was involved with the spy mission as saying "we were so excited" that the group had been spotted and was in the sights of a U.S. drone. But the network quoted the officer, who was not identified, as saying that frustration soon set in after the officers realized they couldn't bomb the funeral under the military's rules of engagement.

Defense Department officials have said repeatedly that while they try to be mindful of religious and cultural sensitivities, they make no promises that such sites can always be avoided in battle because militants often seek cover in those and other civilian sites.

Mosques and similar locations have become frequent sites of violence in the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they have often been targets of insurgents and sectarian fighting in Iraq.

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Well one,
this is an old story.
I've known about it for a while & I really don't buy your attempt to make this a partisan issue. It's scrapping really.

NBC News claimed U.S. Army officers wanted to attack the ceremony with missiles carried by an unmanned Predator drone but were prevented under rules of battlefield engagement that bar attacks on cemeteries.

Were the rules of battlefield engagement made by Liberals?
I don't think so.....

I think when this was brought up before the argument by some was that if we would have bombed the funeral then all sorts of backlash would have come from the left. I don't know if that would have been true or not. But whoever called the shots on this one messed up in my opinion. If you are serious about fighting a war then you take advantage of an opportunity to take out the leaders of the people you are fighting. Especially when that opportunity presents itself with 0% probablity that any of your men will be killed when doing so.

Yeah, we talked about this and it is old news.

This is way overblown and was before the mid-term elections. First, THE MILITARY MADE THIS DECISION, NOBODY WAS HOLDING THEM OVER A BARREL. Do we know for sure who actually stopped this and exactly why? For now I will go with thier military rules of engagment; folks this is the same military and leaders that many of us are saying they did not send enough troops from the start. Bring it up again now?

This to me lines up withthe schizophrenic decisions all through this War on Terror and there is no way you are going to make me think that this administartion was thinking about a backlash before the election when they controled the House and Senate. You have to connect
the dots here; when laying this on 'liberals' who where not even in power at the time does not pass the smell test.

Speaking of backlash---yeah bombing a funeral possession would cause just as much condemnation as if terrorist bombed an American funeral possession.

There are rules of engagement like it or not.

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Nope but they would have a field day covering that one wouldent they. Remember about how much they care about the insergents at gitmo? Yeah. This is how liberals get us killed. I we had bombed them then the liberals would have thrown a shit fit just like gitmo where nothing is going wrong!
I know its old but its still relevent and I just wanted to get it out there. Doesent it make you sick? Nope your a liberal or a far left independant! one or the other!

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Bingo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Are you telling me the liberals wouldent have taken advantage of that? They would have cried out on the media, apologising for having a screwed up presedent, and blamming it on rumsfield! I remember In iraq when we called in artilary on a mass of around 75 armed people in the grave yard. I did stir up a hornets nest but it was worth it in the end. God what a nasty mess.

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Where were the terrorists Rules of Engagement during Sept 11? See you liberals really do aprove of this! You say we shouldent kill our enemys because they might get mad?! Your all crazy!

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Yawn.

Next.