U.S.-led air raid kills 11 in Afghanistan: doctor

Of course more will come out about this in the days/weeks ahead.

But who is more likely to know the local people? A provincial doctor? A US-led coalition force? Just asking.

I've been in provinces in several countries that are primarily rural and I couldn't possibly tell you who are police, if not in uniform and that isn't always reliable, and who are farmers. OK, the farmers are probably in rubber boots and are not carrying firearms.

Locals I trust can tell me who I'm meeting and what they do for a living. Hell, some may be relatives.

Nine police and two civilians were killed in an air strike by U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan, a provincial doctor said on Thursday, but the coalition said Taliban fighters had been killed.

BTW: Why no mention of injured? You don't kill people with 500 lb. (227 kg) bombs and not injure bystanders, do you?

My suspicion for a very long time is air raids aren't the way to go. I readily admit to having no military expertise and would love comments from anyone who does.

This is opinion only. It seems to me Afghanistan and Iraq require boots on the ground. Yes, that tragically results in more coalition deaths than dropping bombs.

Air-strikes are indiscriminate. The only way to know who is where you're attacking is through intelligence and I believe much of it comes from people with a hidden, or not so, agenda. They fucking target people they want killed and not necessarily "the enemy".

Via Boston Globe.