An enigma in Afghanistan

The following column is as serious as I am capable of getting, because it deals with a  most serious topic. It is about an aspect of war that defies human tolerance and discussion on a sane and logical level because it represents the worse of war’s horrors — civilian casualties.

A recent incident involved an American raid on a hospital in Afghanistan where American doctors and other medical volunteers were killed along with Afghani doctors and of course, sick and injured patients. From out of the confusing information we have, comes the fact the raid was triggered by reliable data indicating ISIS terrorists were using the hospital as a safe zone for their evil purposes.

They were using helpless non-combatants as a shield. I am among those who believe there was truth to the situation, especially when we consider the unthinkable acts those people have recently carried out for the whole world to see on television.

Through the wars that have occurred in my lifetime, the numbers of civilian deaths is in the millions. From several sources I’ve read that beyond the four million German military personnel lost in World War II that nation also lost at least a million non-combatants, tens of thousands in Essen and Kastle alone. There is no way to defeat well-armed and trained armies without civilian casualties.

Get to the point George! As terrible a mass murderer Hitler was, his troops and their commanders usually carried out a semblance of international war rules in the conduct of warfare tactics, as did the Allies. Example: Germany declared the city of Heidelberg an “open city” they would not defend and Americans honored that declaration. One of the largest hospitals in Germany was just outside the city of Stuttgart. Germans painted a large RED cross on the roof. They did not use it as a defense fortress and the Allies did not touch it. I was a patient there in 1947 (from a football injury) and could see it would have made a very good underground defensive bunker.

Back to 2015! The major Afghani civilian population lives in absolute terror of ISIS which is mostly Saddam Hussein’s Army which we did not defeat in what is called the “Iraq War.” That short action removed him but not his forces. The real Afghani War is not over. President Obama proved that last month with the decision America would keep troops there with boots on the ground.

It is a blessing, this world has thousands of brave and thoughtful people who will risk their lives and give of their time and skilled efforts to help others such as the Afghanis to survive under adverse conditions. 

That’s why there were American doctors in that hospital destroyed by our raid last month. In their desire to do such work those angels of mercy innocently provided one more way for our terrorist enemies to carry out their sworn goal of dominating the Arab world.

I don’t know the best answer to what is an unsolved problem but I do know I do not like watching the evening news where high ranking American generals are forced to go before Congress and the American public and apologize for a war incident that was basically aimed at protecting the Afghani people and yes … American troops. It was an unfortunate move but worse, it was a victory for the ISIS terrorists?

It would be a serious but hopefully temporary blow to many Afghani people but if I had my way, American civilian doctors and other well meaning Samaritans would be advised to get out and stay out of what remains an obvious combat zone where there are no rules.

G. George Ostrom is a national award-winning columnist for Hungry Horse News. He lives in Kalispell.