Afghan reports can help save lives

I SEE that the White House has condemned the release of classified reports on Afghanistan because they might endanger US troops lives.

What combination of brass necks, tunnel vision and forked tongues is this?

The Wikileaks reports show many incidents of civilians being killed by coalition troops, many of which were not previously reported in the west.

These were already known by the people of Afghanistan. Killing civilians erodes support for the coalition occupying forces and drives more people to join the Taliban.

It’s just here in the “civilised West” that it’s kept from us, while we’re encouraged to support the war, and keep quiet as the troops and weapons pass through Shannon. Also, it may save soldiers lives in a way the White House isn’t pushing for, by seriously shortening the war, and getting them home to their families.

If anything, these reports can help save lives, firstly, by reminding troops that the world is watching their conduct, and that if they lash out in anger or fear and mortar a wedding party, shoot up a bus full of children or the like, (as the reports indicate) the rule of “what happens in Afghanistan, stays in Afghanistan” no longer holds.

The sooner we know the truth of this horrible war, the sooner it will end.

Tim Hourigan

Cedar Court

Kennedy Park

Limerick