Why isn't this footage on CNN or MSNBC? Why can't the American public have easy access to it? Those are questions we should be asking ourselves as we watch the powerful images of Abdullah Khan, a refugee from Afghanistan's Helmland province forced to seek shelter in an IDP camp outside Kabul.
Innocent people who lost loved ones and limbs, homes and all possessions during recent US airstrikes are now living in tents, unable to provide food or water for themselves or their children. It's no wonder Khan, who lost two or three family members himself, resents the US military presence so deeply. "Americans don't do us any good," he says. "When the Americans came these atrocities happened. When the Americans were not here, things were calm; there was the same earth and sky. When the Russians came, they bombarded us, and also now the Americans are bombarding us. What benefit did the Americans bring us?"
This exclusive footage is from the soon-to-be-released fourth segment of Rethink Afghanistan, which focuses on civilian casualties. Brave New Foundation is releasing it in the hopes that others use it to raise awareness about the dire situation on the ground in Afghanistan right now, but thus far, it appears the corporate media is not doing their job in covering this war accurately. When US airstrikes killed up to 143 civilians in Farah province last month -- an attack that was the direct result of military error -- FireDogLake blogger Siun discovered CNN was merely repeating the Department of Defense's spin on the story.