By John LaForge
In April 2019, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will celebrate its 70th anniversary in Washington, D.C.
In view of the alliance’s war zone atrocities, attacks on civilians, civilian objects, and abuse of prisoners, anti-war demonstrations will greet what critics have dubbed this “Nuclear-Armed Terrorist Organization.”
NATO’s crimes, including the desecration and mutilation of corpses, bombing of
allied troops, torture of prisoners, and drone strikes on civilians, have fueled the recruitment of militants and even terrorists in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia.
On March 20, 2012, Pakistani lawmakers demanded an end to all NATO/CIA drone strikes against their territory. Pakistan’s Foreign Sec- retary Jalil Jilani said on April 26, 2012, “We consider drones illegal, counter-productive and accordingly, unacceptable.”
On May 31, 2011, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai gave what he called his “last” warning against NATO’s bombing of Afghani homes saying, “If they continue their attacks on our houses … history shows what Afghans do with trespassers and with occupiers.”
While bombing Libya in March 2011, NATO refused to aid a group of 72 migrants adrift in the Mediterranean. Only nine people on board survived. The refusal was condemned as “criminal” by the Council of Europe.
In a Feb. 12, 2010 atrocity kept secret until March 13, U.S. Special Forces commandos killed a teenage girl, a pregnant mother of 10, a pregnant mother of six, a police officer and his brother, and are accused of trying to cover up the killings by digging bullets out of the victims’ bodies, washing the wounds with alcohol and lying to superior officers.
NATO jets bombed and rocketed an allied Pakistani military base for two hours Nov. 26, 2011, killing 26 Pakistani soldiers and wounding dozens more. NATO has refused to apologize.
On April 12, 1999 during NATO’s Operation Allied Force, a U.S.-piloted F-15E attacked the railway bridge over the Juzna Morava River with two precision laser-guided AGM-130 missiles, both of which hit a five-car civilian passenger train that was crossing the bridge killing between 20 and 60 people. Amnesty International said the attack should have been stopped when the train was hit, and that the second bombing was a war crime.
On April 23, 1999, again during the unlawful war on Yugoslavia, NATO bombed the headquar- ters of Radio Televisija Srbije, the state-owned broadcasting system in Belgrade, destroying the building. Sixteen civilian employees were killed and 16 wounded. Amnesty International said the NATO bombing was a war crime, and Noam Chomsky called it an act of terrorism.
Headlines Record NATO Crimes
NATO’s crimes the world over have made these headlines:
1. “U.S. Airstrike Said to Kill at Least 10 Af- ghan Civilians,” New York Times, Feb. 11, 2019
2. “American Airstrikes Kill Civilians, Includ- ing Children, Afghans Charge,” New York Times, Jan. 26, 2019
3. “Did Airstrike Kill Taliban Mastermind or Civilians,” New York Times, Jan. 24, 2019
4. “C.I.A.-Led Afghan Forces Leave Grim Trail of Abuse: Brutal Acts Stoke Residents’ Anger and Inspire Accusations of War Crimes,” New York Times, Dec. 31, 2018
5. “At Least a Dozen Civilians Killed in Af- ghan and U.S. Operation,” New York Times, Nov. 28, 2018
6. “Navy SEAL is Accused of Bloodthirsty Killings,” New York Times, Nov. 16, 2018
7. “Report: 3,301 civilians killed in U.S.-led strikes in Syria since 2014,” Duluth News Tribune, Sept. 24, 2018
8. “Study: U.S. killed 500 civilians,” Minneapolis (Mpls.) StarTribune, June 3, 2018
9. “‘Killed, Shovel in Hand’: Afghan Farmers are the Latest Victims of a Chaotic War,” New York Times, March 19, 2018
10. “More Afghan Civilians are Victims of Targeted Attacks, UN Says,” New York Times, Feb. 16, 2018
11. “American Airstrikes in Afghanistan Stir Debate Over Who Was Killed,” New York Times, Nov. 11, 2017
12. “U.S. Airstrikes kill at least 13 civilians,” Mpls. StarTribune, Nov. 5, 2017
13. “Airstrike Kills at Least 25 at Street Mar- ket in Yemen,” New York Times, Nov. 2, 2017
14. “11 Afghans Killed in U.S. Airstrike,” New York Times, Aug. 31, 2017
15. “3 Children Among Dead in a Raid In Somalia,” New York Times, Aug. 26, 2017
16. “Afghans Say U.S. Strike Hit Civilians,” New York Times, Aug. 12, 2017
17. “Civilian deaths from U.S.-led strikes on ISIS surge under Trump administration” [to an estimated 3,800], Guardian, June 6, 2017
18. “Civilian deaths a windfall for militants’ propaganda,” Mpls. StarTribune, April 2, 2017
19. “U.S. Airstrike ‘Probably Had a Role’ in Mosul Civilian Deaths, Commander Con- cedes,” New York Times, March 29, 2017
20. “U.S. strike reportedly killed 30 Syrians,” New York Times/Mpls. StarTribune, Mar. 23, 2017
21. “U.S. military says fight with Taliban killed 33 civilians,” Mpls. StarTribune, Jan. 13, 2017
22. “U.S.-led strikes in Iraq, Syria have killed at least 188 civilians, military says,”
Duluth News Tribune, Jan. 3, 2017
23. “U.S. admits its airstrikes likely killed Afghan civilians,” Washington Post/ Mpls. StarTribune, Nov. 6, 2016
24. “U.S. Drones Hit Civilians, U.N. Says,” New York Times, Sept. 30, 2016
25. “Residents Say U.S. Strike Killed Civilians,” Wall Street Journal, Sept. 29, 2016
26. “Pentagon: Errors led to hospital strike,” New York Times, & Mpls. Star Tribune, May 1, 2016
27. “A Moral Debt for Bombing a Hospital,” editorial, New York Times, April 30, 2016
28. “Airstrike on Afghan hospital stirs fury,” New York Times/Mpls. StarTribune; and “19 die in apparent U.S. airstrike on Afghan hospi- tal,” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 4, 2015
29. “U.S. soldier pleads guilty to killing 16 Afghan civilians during raids” (“Staff Sgt Robert Bales pleaded guilty to 16 counts of premeditated murder”), Guardian, June 5, 2013
30. “U.S. marine pleads guilty to urinating on corpse of Taliban fighter in Afghanistan,” Guardian, Jan. 16, 2013
31. “U.S. troops posed with body parts of Afghan bombers,” Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2012
32. “Drones At Issue… Raids Disrupt Mili- tants, but Civilian Deaths Stir Outrage,” New York Times, March 18, 2012
33. “G.I. Kills 16 Afghans, Including 9 Children in Attacks on Homes,” New York Times, March 12, 2012
34. “NATO Admits Airstrike Killed 8 Young Afghans, but Contends They Were Armed,” New York Times, Feb. 16, 2012
35. “Informer Misled NATO in Airstrike That Killed 8 Civilians, Afghans Say,” New York Times, Feb. 10, 2012
36. “Video [of Marines urinating on dead fight- ers] Inflames a Delicate Moment for U.S. in Afghanistan,” New York Times, Jan. 12, 2012
37. “Commission alleges U.S. detainee abuse,” Mpls. StarTribune, Jan. 8, 2012
38. “Six Children Are Killed by NATO Air- strike in Afghanistan,” New York Times, Nov. 25, 2011
39. “American Soldier Is Convicted of Killing Afghan Civilians for Sport,” New York Times, Nov. 11, 2011
40. “U.S. Drone Strike Kills Brother of a Taliban Commander,” New York Times, Oct. 28, 2011
41.“Afghanistan officials ‘systematically tor- tured’ detainees, UN report says,” Guardian, & BBC, Oct. 10; Washington Post, Oct. 11, 2011
42. “G.I. Killed Afghan Journalist, NATO Says,” New York Times, Sept. 9, 2011
43. “Cable Implicates Americans in Deaths of Iraqi Civilians,” New York Times, Sept. 2, 2011
44. “Civilians Die in a Raid by Americans and Iraqis,” New York Times, Aug. 7, 2011
45. “NATO Strikes Libyan State TV Trans- mitters,” New York Times, July 31, 2011
46. “U.S. Expands Its Drone War to Take On Somali Militants,” New York Times, July 2, 2011
47. “NATO admits raid probably killed nine in Tripoli,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 20, 2011
48. “NATO airstrike blamed in 14 civilian deaths,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, May 30, 2011
49. “Libya Effort Is Called Violation of War Act,” New York Times, May 26, 2011
50. “Raid on Wrong House Kills Afghan Girl, 12,” New York Times, May 12, 2011
51. “Yemen: 2 Killed in Missile Strike,” Associ- ated Press, May 5, 2011
52. “NATO Accused of Going Too Far With Libya Strikes,” New York Times, May 2, 2011
53. “Disposal of Bin Laden’s remains violated Islamic principles, clerics say,” Associated Press, May 2, 2011
54. “Photos of atrocities seen as threat to Afghan relations,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, March 22, 2011
55. “Missiles Kill 26 in Pakistan,” New York Times, March 18, 2011
56. “Afghans Say NATO Troops Killed 8 Civil- ians in Raid,” New York Times, Aug. 24, 2010
57. “A dozen or more” Afghan civilians were killed during a nighttime raid Aug. 5, 2010 in eastern Afghanistan, NATO officers said. Chicago Tribune, Aug. 6, 2010
58. “Afghans Say Attack Killed 52 Civilians; NATO Differs,” New York Times, July 27, 2010
59. “Afghans Die in Bombing, As Toll Rises for Civilians,” New York Times, May 3, 2010
60. “New inquiry ordered in killing of Afghan civilians during raid,” CNN, April 5, 2010
61. “Pakistan Angry as Strike by U.S. Kills 11 Soldiers,” New York Times, June 12, 2008
62. “Marines Used ‘Excessive Force’ in Af- ghan Civilian Deaths,” Washington Post, April 14, 2007
Fact sheet by John LaForge for NU K E W A T C H
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