Newsday.com – Review: Afghan Civilian Deaths Lower
But authorities have not calculated Afghanistan’s civilian death toll in the war on terrorism, and the dimension of this tragedy is not fully known. Although estimates have placed the civilian dead in the thousands, a review by The Associated Press suggests the toll may be in the mid-hundreds, a figure reached by examining hospital records, visiting bomb sites and interviewing eyewitnesses and officials.
And to [email protected] while you’re at it.
Here’s mine:
Reporter Karen de Sa uncritically repeats women’s studies professor Marc Herold’s
claim that thousands of innocents have died in the Afghan war in her story on anti-war
protestors “Unlikely activists oppose war” (Feb. 13).Herold bases his claims on news reports largely supplied by pro-Taliban forces which
are clearly inflated. The Associated Press conducted a much more thorough review
using hospital records, witness interviews, and visits to bomb sites, and reached the
conclusion that the actual figure is in the mid-hundreds.Relatives of WTC victims opposing the war deserve sympathy and understanding for the
emotional distress that leads them to their irrational position, not reinforcement of their
delusions.
Signed, etc.
The Newsday article comes from the Rantburg site, the most accessible and complete warblog going.