Why ‘Collateral Damage’ Elicits So Little Empathy Among Americans

By Rick Shenkman / TomDispatch Jan 11, 2016 Journalists and rivals called Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz on his inane and ruthless suggestion that the United States begin carpet-bombing Islamic State forces in Syria. But his poll numbers still crept up. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

Body Counts, Drones and ‘Collateral Damage’ (aka ‘Bug Splat’)

By Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch May 4, 2015 In the twenty-first-century world of drone warfare, one question with two aspects reigns supreme: Who counts? In Washington, the answers are the same. Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

Strikes Against Morality

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Apr 25, 2015 I have no doubt that Obama's regret over the unintended deaths of two men in a drone strike on a suspected al-Qaida compound is sincere. But history tells us that good-faith effort is not enough to guarantee that sound moral choices are made. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

It Doesn’t Pay to Slaughter Innocents

Staff / Truthdig Jul 19, 2014 David Rothkopf at Foreign Policy magazine points to the civilian deaths on a beach in Gaza and airspace over Ukraine to argue that using "the chaos of combat" to achieve complex political ends is futile. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

WikiLeaks Reveals 6 Years of Afghanistan War Secrets

Staff / Truthdig Jul 26, 2010 The whistle-blower website just dropped 91,000 secret documents, which were simultaneously published by The New York Times, The Guardian and Der Spiegel There are many revelations and more to come, but we already know that NATO forces appear to be responsible for hundreds of unclaimed civilian deaths and injuries continued. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gates Defends U.S. Soldiers’ Actions in Infamous Video

Staff / Truthdig Apr 11, 2010 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has defended the U.S. soldiers who were made infamous in a video released by the website Wikileaks last week, saying the critiques of those who fired upon and killed a group of reporters and civilians lack context. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Video Shows Gunning Down of Journalists and Iraqi Civilians

Staff / Truthdig Apr 5, 2010 The website WikiLeaks has found and decrypted a 2007 video showing a US Apache helicopter firing on more than a dozen people, including two Reuters journalists The U military previously denied knowing how the journalists and civilians died. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Droning On and On

Mr. Fish / Truthdig Mar 1, 2010 Dig deeper

Order to U.S. Troops: No Firefights Near Afghan Villagers

Staff / Truthdig Jun 23, 2009 Gen. Stanley McChrystal is rolling out a new order to U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan with the hope of reducing rampant civilian casualties. If soldiers find themselves in a fight near Afghan homes, they are to "remove themselves from the area" as long as they can do so "safely, without any undue danger to the forces," a military spokesman explained. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

America’s Bombs Are Still Exploding in Laos

Staff / Truthdig Jun 10, 2009 When the United States finished bombing Laos back in the early 1970s, it left behind an estimated 80 million unexploded bombs. They are still exploding, maiming an average of 300 people a year in the sparsely populated country. What horrors will our current adventures bring decades from now? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Airstrike Rules Broken, Pentagon Finds

Staff / Truthdig Jun 4, 2009 US forces in Afghanistan have developed a reputation for bombing first and asking questions later According to The New York Times, an internal Pentagon investigation confirms that the rules of engagement were not followed properly during airstrikes on May 4, resulting in the deaths of 20 to 140 civilians (depending on whether you take the U or Afghan estimate). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

20,000 Killed While No One Was Watching

Staff / Truthdig May 29, 2009 The London Times reports that the final weeks of fighting in Sri Lanka's civil war claimed more than 20,000 civilian lives, mostly at the hands of government forces A UN official tells the paper the actual figure is "Higher Keep going" The government kept aid workers and reporters away during a three-week bombardment that ultimately ended the 26-year war. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )