A MAN REAPS WHAT HE SOWS

Today October 4, 2009, on the front page of the NY Times we read a story by Sabrina Tavernise and Sangar Rahimi:

“Eight U.S. Soldiers Dead in Bold Attack in Afghanistan”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/05/world/asia/05afghan.html?_r=1&hp

The authors and editors of the Times write:

“KABUL, Afghanistan – Groups of tribal militia attacked two American outposts in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, the American military said, killing eight American soldiers and two Afghan police officers in a bold attack that was the deadliest for American soldiers in months.
.......The attack took place on Saturday night in the Nuristan province, a remote area that shares a border with Pakistan.”

They also report that:

”The area had suffered civilian casualties in the past, and villagers there are extremely wary of American forces.”

But they fail to tell us why the villagers are “extremely wary of American forces".

Are we not up to the full story.."all thats fit to print" about why the attitude of the Nuristan villagers?

Here is what the authors should have made at least some mention of so that the NY Times readership would have the full story and better understand what kinds of difficulties face our forces we so casually place in harms way:

The authors might have noted that extremely mountinous region of steep valleys, and cragy 14,000 foot peaks, was the site of many violent battles during the Russian invasion, and was the recent locus of a dramatic battle in which large numbers of civilians were killed.


Read how the Afghan Conflict Monitor describes this April 7 2008 story:
http://www.afghanconflictmonitor.org/nuristan/

“Afghanistan Probes Civilian Deaths Claim: Ministry, Agence France Presse, 7 April 2008
EXCERPT: "Afghanistan authorities said Monday [7 April 2008] they were investigating claims by provincial officials that up to 33 civilians were killed in a weekend offensive by US-led troops. The defence ministry said it could not confirm that civilians were killed in the raids by US and Afghan forces in the eastern province of Nuristan, a known stronghold of Taliban-led militants. The US-led coalition had earlier reported 'significant' insurgent casualties during the operation. Mohammad Aleem, Nuristan deputy governor, told AFP that 33 civilians, including women and children, were killed and dozens more injured in the day-long operation in the mountainous province's Do'aab district. District chief Qari Daud put the death toll at 28, all of them civilians. The defence ministry said in a statement that reports from the area 'indicate that non-civilians were hurt during that operation.' On Sunday, it had reported 'heavy' militant casualties."

The same story from Information Iraq:
Read at: http://www.williambowles.info/iraq/uruk/2008/0408/uruk_080408.html
"The massacre in the Do’ab district, Nuristan Marc W. Herold, The Afghan Victim Memorial ProjectOn Sunday, April 6, 2008, in three isolated villages including Shok (Sharuk or Shawak), Daba (Dowaba) and Myan-i-Tok in the Shok Valley of the Do’ab district, western Nuristan Province about 15 kms north of the border with Laghman Province. In July 2007, the Taliban had captured the Do’ab and Mandol districts of Nuristan. The villages were intensely bombarded by U.S. warplanes while U.S.-led ground troops (of the Afghan 201st Kandak Company and the Afghan National Police) carried out a ground cordon-and-search assault upon the villages. A resident of Shok village (Shawak) told the independent Pajhwok Afghan News that U.S. helicopters had been fired-upon after which the U.S-led assault began. Heavy fighting lasting numerous hours ensued. As usual, U.S-Afghan soldiers called-in aerial close air support (CAS). Much of Shok village including the mosque was flattened. Yusuf Nuristani, a spokesman for the governor of Nuristan said that some 200 homes in the village of Myan-i-Tok village were badly damaged. 28-40 civilians including many women, elderly and children were slaughtered in the U.S. attack….

The same story from the RAWA, or Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghansitan (www.rawa.org) where the names of some of the victims of the attack are listed.
Read this account at: http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2008/04/29/the-massacre-in-the-do-8217-ab-district-nuristan.html

"The massacre in the Do’ab district, Nuristan

Killed by heavy U.S. “precision” bombing

In memory of and sympathy for14 civilians killed:

Saeed Rasul, 50, a fatherRahmatullah, 45, a fatherBibi Jan, 70, a motherHakim’s daughter, 6Hakim’s second daughter, 8Muhammed Aman, 60, a fatherWali Muhammed, 60, a fatherHayat’s son, 5Suleiman’s son, 7Muhammed Siddique’s wife, 40Sattar, 65, a fatherHazrat Shah, 70Reza Muhammed, 60, a fatherShawago’s daughter, 4

Another 7 civilians wounded:
Naik Muhammed, a fatherMuhammed Siddique, 80Karim, 80Haji Najmuddin’s wife, 65Azam, 50, a fatherAfghan, a 50-yr-old manKarim Hazir Mir’s son, 12.

St Paul, in(Galatians 6:7-10) warns us “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people…”

Get the picture?

rjk