McChrystal's Nightmare

February 24, 2010
James Bays / Al Jazeera

Once again, a NATO attack has left civilians dead. Operation Moshtarak, the largest military offensive in Afghanistan since 2001, was supposed to be NATO's chance to retake the initiative. I remember similar incidents when, for days, the military claimed the dead were Taliban fighters, despite TV pictures showing the bodies of dead civilians. General McChrystal hoped a new start. This is a serious set-back.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/2010/02/22/mcchrystals-nightmare

(February 22, 2010) — Once again, a NATO attack has left many civilians dead. The Afghan cabinet, after a meeting in the Presidential palace in Kabul, issued a statement saying that 27 civilians, included women and children had been killed. The statement called the deaths "unjustifiable."

The military believed the three vehicle convoy in the remote mountains of Uruzgan province was carrying Taliban reinforcements. The order was given to strike them. The timing could not have been worse for NATO and US Commander General Stanley McChrystal.

Operation Moshtarak, the largest military offensive in Afghanistan since 2001 was supposed to be NATO's chance to retake the initiative in this troubled country, where the Taliban have been gaining ground in recent years. It is not just about gaining territory on the battlefield. Commanders know the more important goal is winning over ordinary Afghans.

The offensive stage of operations around the town of Marjah has dragged on longer than military planners had hoped. After the death of 12 civilians in the initial stages of the operation, commanders say they are being extremely cautious in an effort to avoid further deaths and injuries.

The military response to what happened in Uruzgan has been swift: The immediate announcement of an official military inquiry, and a visit by General McChrystal to President Hamid Karzai to apologise.

This PR response was so different from days when Generals Dan McNeill or David McKiernan were commanding NATO forces. I remember incidents in 2007 and 2008 when, for days, the military defiantly claimed the dead from similar incidents were Taliban fighters, despite the existence of television pictures showing the bodies of dead civilians.

This time, the chief spokesman for the NATO force actually telephoned me with news of the incident, ahead of the formal statement. In the past, we would have waited hours for any comment. The PR operation is now much faster, and much slicker. However, in my view, that will not be enough to change things.

Under McChrystal's leadership, the overall number of civilian deaths as a result of NATO mistakes has reduced. However, it will be very difficult to alter perceptions among the Afghan public. The effect of civilian casualties is cumulative. Today's awful tragedy just reinforces memories of so many other incidents in the last eight and a half years.

General McChrystal planned Operation Mostarak as a new start for his force. This is a very serious set-back.

<1>Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.

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