Afghan's anger muted in fatal shooting by Canadian troops

This is from the globe and mail. One wonders if officials who report on the issue just don't understand English or where they deliberately intend to mislead people. The official story is plain ludicrous. It is most improbable that the motorcyclist was killed and his passenger badly injured by an "accidental discharge" of a weapon. It is clear that the Canadians thought that the motorcycle was coming too close to them and shot at the motorcycle with intent to hit the riders in case they were suicide bombers. It was no accident at all. It was if anything a mistake. The official story makes it sound as if somehow a gun went off by accident and the two on the motorcycle just happened to be in the path of the bullets. Inane in light of the circumstances. So why would officials use such language? Because an accident seems to involve less blame than actually targetting the individuals I assume. But I don't really see why it could not be described accurately as an unfortunate mistake.
These things happen.
The incident that really raises Afghan hackles is the case of the two mullahs murdered in cold blood as they slept no doubt by US special forces associated with the operation Enduring Freedom. (Orwell's skeleton must be rattling with laughter!) No one has explained or accepted responsibility for the incident or offered even as much as an apology.

Afghans' anger muted in fatal shooting by troops
Canadian military orders independent probe after convoy's 'accidental discharge' kills a teenager and injures his 12-year-old brother
GRAEME SMITH

October 3, 2007

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN -- The road where a Canadians soldier accidentally shot two Afghans yesterday morning had returned to normal by afternoon, as Kandahar avoided the kind of angry demonstrations that followed another killing last week.

Amid the jostle and clamour of ordinary traffic on the west side of Kandahar city, people at the scene of the shooting voiced a grim acceptance of the deadly mishaps that happen when heavily armed convoys make daily forays into Afghanistan's second-largest city.

"Please tell the Canadians to be careful on the road, because you make people very afraid," said Mohammed Kabir, 59, a money changer.

The voices were more emotional at the funeral for Esmatullah Zia, the teenager who died of gunshots to the head. In the village of Karam Kalacha, a northern suburb of the city, throngs of relatives and tribesmen gathered to bury the 18- or 19-year-old garage employee. They declared the Canadians "enemies of Islam, and our enemies."


But the reaction was far less raucous than the street protests that followed the shooting of two religious teachers in a village west of Kandahar last week. In that case, the mullahs had been shot dead in their bedrooms during an apparent raid by U.S. forces, and the villagers received no apology, no compensation and no statement from anybody taking responsibility for the killing.

The Canadian military and NATO made a greater effort at damage control in the aftermath of the latest incident. Press statements from both organizations quickly acknowledged an "accidental discharge" of a weapon had occurred at 6:45 a.m. Soldiers at the scene gave first aid to the teenager and his younger brother Ahmad Zia, 12, who had been struck by the Canadians' gunfire during their morning drive to work.

The shooting will be examined by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, and the military released few details of the circumstances because of the probe.

"Unfortunately, a motorcycle came near the convoy and a shot was fired, and the driver of the motorcycle died and a passenger was injured," said Captain Josée Bilodeau, a military spokeswoman. "For sure it didn't result from enemy activity. It was an accident."

Afghan police initially took the injured boy to Mirwais hospital for treatment, but with a bullet wound in his head, the chances of his survival in the poorly funded local facility were not good. The boy's family pleaded for help from the Canadians, who responded within hours. An ambulance took him to Kandahar Air Field, where he was allowed into the sophisticated military hospital. His head swaddled in bandages, he appeared to be conscious.

"This afternoon he was in surgery, so I don't know whether he's doing well, but for sure we are doing our best to provide him the best treatment we can," Capt. Bilodeau said.

Military officials from the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar city are also expected to negotiate a payment to help the family in the coming days.

"We have to stop this cruelty," Ghusudin, the boys' uncle, told a CTV News cameraman at the hospital. "The head of the [provincial] council and other elders have to take serious action; otherwise, we will hold another demonstration."

Several locals in Kandahar complained that they have never seen a foreign soldier punished for any action that harmed a civilian. "The Canadians are just saying 'sorry,' and they've killed so many people like this," said Akbar, 49, a businessman. "They say 'We will discipline our soldier,' but always we see zero results."

But the launch of a CFNIS probe of the events does indicate that consequences are possible. An independent body, the CFNIS reports to the military's top police officer, the Provost Marshal, outside the operational chain of command.

"Our National Investigative Service is taking this very seriously," Capt. Bilodeau said. "There is an investigation ongoing, and we will know what happened."