Afghan "Civilian Casualties"

With the trilateral summit, convened by US. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in Washington on Wednesday, an important matter will be the topic of "civilian" casualties. With Afghan President Hamid Karzai angry over the recent death of Afghan civilians on a U.S. air attack Monday, Washington has deeply regretted it.

"We don't know all of the circumstances or causes...and there will be a joint investigation...but any loss of life, any loss of innocent life, is particularly painful," Clinton told Mr. Karzai and Pakistan President Ali Zardari.

President Zardari has clearly stated that he is greatly committed to the fight against terrorism and Islamic extremism-induced violence, noting that it is a common enemy of all three nations, and that the summit leaders must cooperate in order to find a solution, as the burden is shared.

U.S. President Barack Obama must be actively involved in this conflict if he is to have any hope of eliminating the problem. I hope that President Obama will make a firm statement against Mr. Karzai's accusations, with the question being were these "civilians" killed by a U.S. error of operation?

Original article: VOA News, May 6, 2009