Flickr Photo by isafmedia
The narrative was set up from the beginning: the U.S.-NATO offensive in Marjah, Afghanistan would be one where not killing civilians would be at the forefront of conversation as major players in the conflict in Afghanistan, news organizations, and the people of Afghanistan and the world paid attention to the offensive. It was only a matter of time before military leaders and politicians began to trumpet a charge commonly heard from occupiers, that the enemy is using civilians as "human shields."
BBC News recently reported:
Gen Ghori, the senior commander for Afghan troops in the area, accused the Taliban of taking civilians hostage in Marjah and putting them in the line of fire.
"Especially in the south of Marjah, the enemy is fighting from compounds where soldiers can very clearly see women or children on the roof or in a second-floor or third-floor window," he is quoted by Associated Press as saying.
"They are trying to get us to fire on them and kill the civilians."
As a result, his forces were having to make the choice either not to return fire, he said, or to advance much more slowly in order to distinguish militants from civilians.
Forces that were going in to attack Marjah to root out Taliban they believed to be in the region warned civilians ahead of the invasion. NATO told civilians to keep their heads down. Fleeing the area was encouraged so forces could go in and wage a campaign that produced very few civilian casualties. This was all part of plans to ease public outcries against an occupation that many believe has been perpetrating indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
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