An F-15E Strike Eagle takes off from an air base in Afghanistan. The F-15E is a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. On March 6, F-15Es performed various shows of force and protected several convoys in Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo (Photo from Air-Attack)From War Is Boring:
U.S. President Barack Obama’s new Afghanistan strategy will see another 7,000 troops sent to the Central Asian country, on top of the 17,000 reinforcements he had already promised. With the troop boost comes a commensurate increase in air power, according to Air Force Lieutenant General Gary North, air-war boss for Iraq and Afghanistan.
But the U.S. is already relying too heavily on air strikes, with a deletirious effect on everyday Afghans’ support for our war effort, according to some polls. “Some 44 percent of Afghans who experienced local bombing believe that attacks against coalition forces could be justified,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies reports. Air strikes killed 120 innocent Afghans in just the first half of 2008.
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My Comment: Air strikes on enemy positions .... especially in civilian areas .... will always produce civilian casualties. But when the Afghan air campaign is compared to other conflicts, civilian casualties totals have been dramatically lowered. Will this continue with the surge in Afghanistan ..... we shall see.