The Pentagon Has Unreported Thousands Of Deadly Airstrikes In Syria, Iraq, And Afghanistan

Military Times: The U.S. military's stats on deadly airstrikes are wrong. Thousands have gone unreported

The American military has failed to publicly disclose potentially thousands of lethal airstrikes conducted over several years in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, a Military Times investigation has revealed. The enormous data gap raises serious doubts about transparency in reported progress against the Islamic State, al-Qaida and the Taliban, and calls into question the accuracy of other Defense Department disclosures documenting everything from costs to casualty counts.

In 2016 alone, U.S. combat aircraft conducted at least 456 airstrikes in Afghanistan that were not recorded as part of an open-source database maintained by the U.S. Air Force, information relied on by Congress, American allies, military analysts, academic researchers, the media and independent watchdog groups to assess each war's expense, manpower requirements and human toll. Those airstrikes were carried out by attack helicopters and armed drones operated by the U.S. Army, metrics quietly excluded from otherwise comprehensive monthly summaries, published online for years, detailing American military activity in all three theaters.

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WNU Editor: No one in the main stream media has picked up this story yet, but this is a bombshell of a report. Over the years this blog and other websites believed that the Pentagon was unreporting air strikes, casualties, cost of operations, etc. .... but we never had the data. Kudos to the Military Times to actually compile public records and the data to get a clearer picture on what has been happening .... and to document it. The conclusions of this Military Times report are obvious .... it puts everything into question on how the U.S. has prosecuted the wars of the past 16 years. Needless to say .... this is my must read post for today.

The Ten 'Bloodiest' Wars For America

10 Wars With The Highest American Death Count -- The Richest

There’s no question that everyone, regardless of identity and background, is affected by war. From the soldier heading off to the battlefield to the loved ones left behind at home, estimating the true ramifications of war is almost impossible. Battle and conflict is part of any country’s history; whether it’s an economic war or one fought on the field resulting in the loss of lives, war is a physically and emotionally brutal fact of life.

In the short history of the United States since the Revolutionary War of Independence, the nation has seen over a million deaths in war. From casualties in combat to mortal wounding, there’s a tragic story with a face, name, and personal story behind each of the numbers

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My Comment: The American Civil War is number one.

A Hero Returns Home

Soldier Who Lost 4 Limbs In Afghanistan Returns Home To Hero's Welcome -- NBC Photoblog

The Associated Press reports from Vassar, Mich. — Army Staff Sgt. Travis Mills had been a lot of places since losing his four limbs in Afghanistan. The one place he hadn't been was where people knew him best.

He finally returned to his Michigan hometown this week — six months after the explosion that cost him his arms and legs — to serve as the grand marshal of his old high school's homecoming parade.

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Update: Quadruple amputee Army soldier returns to cheers in Michigan -- FOX News/AP

My Comment: Stories like this one puts life into perspective .... we may complain about our lives .... but for many of us we are actually incredibly lucky and blessed..

Is Afghanistan More Safer Than Detroit?

SECURITY PATROL
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Kevin Jones walks past a group of Afghan citizens during a security patrol in the Garmsir district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Nov. 12, 2011. Jones is a combat photographer assigned to Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder

Afghanistan Is Safer Than Detroit! -- Examiner

Since January 2003 there have been 3313 homicides in the City of Detroit. That is a startling number. What makes it even more mind boggling is that in the 10 year period from 2001 thru 2011, 1836 US soldiers were killed in and around Afghanistan. You are safer flying to Afghanistan than driving through Detroit.

When are the people of this city going to wake up? Forget every other problem Detroit has. Nothing can be fixed until you stop killing each other. Demand action from your elected officials. Mayor Dave Bing needs to appoint a committee to study what the Detroit Police Department is doing, and what other big city departments with much larger populations and lower homicide rates is doing. Chicago is one such city.

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My Comment: If you throw in civilian/Taliban/NATO casualties ... sorry ... but Afghanistan is far more dangerous place than Detroit. But there is a Western hemisphere country that is more dangerous than Afghanistan (and it is not Mexico) .... is this one.

Attrition: Contrasting Iraq And Afghanistan

U.S. Army soldiers help a provincial mentorship team uncover a weapons cache in Baraki Barak in the Logar province, Afghanistan, March 26, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Joshua LaPere

From Strategy Page:

So far this year, over 70 percent of the casualties in Afghanistan have been caused by suicide and roadside bombs. That's 52 dead and over 200 wounded among the 70,000 U.S. and NATO troops there, in the last three months. In Iraq, roadside bombs never accounted for more than 60 percent of losses. Moreover, Afghanistan remains a less dangerous place than Iraq ever was.

In the last two years, foreign troops in Afghanistan lost about 300-400 dead per 100,000 troops. In Iraq, from 2004-7, the deaths among foreign troops ran at 500-600 per 100,000 per year. Since al Qaeda admitted defeat there two years ago, the U.S. death rate in Iraq has dropped to less than 200 dead per 100,000 troops per year.

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My Comment: Comparing Iraq and Afghanistan .... the cost in real blood.

The Human Cost Of War -- Part 2

The 12-year-old girl, gang-raped in Afghanistan, weeps as her family demands justice.

Afghan Children Raped With 'Impunity,' U.N. Official Says -- CNN

(CNN) -- The young Afghan girl sits in the center of the room, weeping. Using her hand and her blue scarf to hide her face, she recounts how she was brutally raped by five gunmen.

The girl's tragic case is one of many in war-torn Afghanistan, activists say.

The 12-year-old girl's family members say they'll take their own lives unless justice is served.

"We will all commit suicide; this is not living," cries the mother of the girl, whose gang-rape occurred in Northern Afghanistan.

The girl's adolescent voice pleads for help from Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan.

The girl's elderly and immobilized father trembles and can only raise a quivering hand as he sobs. He is rendered helpless in a country where a man's dignity and honor is protecting his family.

Her little brother sits in the back, far too young to understand the situation but still traumatized by the devastated cries around him. He wipes away his tears.

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