Tag Archives: Civilian casualties

100 years of air power

November 1st was the 100th anniversary of the first use of bombs from powered aircraft. On that day in 1911 an Italian pilot dropped three grenades on Ottoman forces in what was later to become Libya. By chance, the centenary of aerial bombardment coincided with the conclusion of NATO’s air campaign in Libya, the apparent […]

Petraeus tightens rules of engagement

U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, the recently appointed commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has reportedly added further restrictions to the “rules of engagement” that govern the use of force by most international forces in Afghanistan (Jason Motlagh, “Petraeus Toughens Afghan Rules of Engagement,” Time, 6 August 2010). Most details of the new directive […]

Do they really need reminding?

CBC news reports that  a recent NATO air strike killed at least 4 civilians in a small village north of Kandahar. While Canadian troops were not directly involved in the incident, the news speaks to a larger debate on the increasingly blurry line between civilian and combatant. (more…)

An upswing in violence in Afghanistan… What does this mean for Canada?

By any measure the last few months have been marked by an upswing in violence in Afghanistan–a “dreary and bloody stalemate” according to the CBC’s Brian Stewart. NATO–and the US in particular–have come to recognize this as there has been much ado about how to re-cast the mission. First of all this has meant the implementation of a new command structure […]