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[Just in case we're not already outraged enough...] AP. 18 April 2002. Oct. Bombing Not War Violation. WASHINGTON -- U.S. airstrikes on a Red Cross warehouse in Afghanistan last October did not violate the international Law of Armed Conflict, the U.S. war commander announced Thursday. Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of the U.S. Central Command, investigated two U.S. attacks on the warehouse compound in Kabul, the Afghan capital. The first, on Oct. 16, happened because Taliban fighters were believed to be using the facility and the International Committee of the Red Cross had not informed Central Command that it maintained a warehouse at that location, Franks said. Also, the facility was not marked to give sufficient visual notice of the Red Cross presence, he said. In a brief summary of Central Command's investigation, Franks said that when it was discovered after the airstrike that the warehouse was used by the Red Cross, it was removed from Central Command's list of approved targets. But it was not placed on the command's "no strike" list, he said. Even though the warehouse was removed from the approved target list and new safeguards were implemented to minimize the chance of such mistaken attacks, the warehouse was bombed by U.S. aircraft again Oct. 26. Franks' summary made no mention of why the target was struck the second time, but it said the investigators concluded there was insufficient evidence to sustain a finding of a Law of Armed Conflict violation. Even so, the Oct. 26 incident met the criteria under Defense Department rules as a "reportable incident," Franks said. As a result, Franks on Nov. 30 forwarded the results of his inquiry to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper in the Pentagon "for such action as he deemed appropriate." Air Force officials said Thursday they could not immediately determine what, if any, action Jumper took. There have been a number of news reports in recent weeks quoting unidentified Pentagon officials saying the target was hit the second time because an Air Force commander believed he had authority to restrike partially damaged targets even if they were no longer on approved target lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
