Sobering statistics and a reason the 'downtrodden' in Afghanistan and elsewhere have some valid complaints about ' collateral damage '.

WWI the ration of soldiers killed to civilians was 10 to 1
WWII soldiers/civilians was 50-50
Today's figures [ Afghanistan/Iraq and the so-called 'small wars '] 10 civilians for every 1 soldier.

point to ponder...

I also understand who causes this type of collateral damage sounds like you put the Soldier at fault the Afgans allow this to happen.The Warlords are at fault I remember 9/11 and Omar that was ask about Bin Laden.

Sully:

don't get me wrong, not pointing fingers, just putting bare statistics out there.

Know full well that the Taliban and their ilk use civilians as shields and invite attacks on built up areas by placing antagonistic targets in such places as schools, hospitals and churches.. or call in phony reports of insurgents when folks are having weddings or other 'parties'..

at the same time, after the first couple of ' oopsies', that the leftists like to plaster all over the weeb and TV, one would hope the higher ups would figure out overkill by remote targeting was maybe not the best response..

sadly, the only 'perfect' way to fix this is good intel and throwing foot soldiers into the fray, clearing house to house, room to room to flush them out and then secure the town or locale properly; not withdrawing and letting the bad guys sneak back in.. that takes men on the ground and the acceptance of a higher body count on ' our side'.. something the public back home doesn't like to see/hear...

funny how that wasn't a ' problem' in WWII when 'collateral damage' was considerably higher...'better' censorship? clearer cause worth fighting/dying for? or are we just jaded now in the 21st century in thinking that a technologically advanced civilization should be able to whack stone age cave dwellers with no losses and in quick order?. again, the civvies' lack of understanding the basics of guerrilla warfare and one more reason for people to study history...

one thing for sure, more folks are second guessing the military and creating disturbances about the ' proper way' to deal with the disaffected, disenfranchised i.e the fundamentalist/ mysogenistic mullahs and their acolytes or other grumpy guts who can't accept the choices the ' majority' make and want to impose the ; correct true way' as they see it..

half the world hasn't frown up yet.. [ and the other half is corrupt -according to the conspiraloon websites ]

shame...

Rocketeer

In such parts of the world as Afghanistan the arrival of American soldiers is like a gift from Allah. It could be any soldier from any spot on planet DOPE, but the bottom line is the Afghans get to play Cowboy and Indian. To most war is not only a way of life, but a means to becoming a man. The nights go by with fireside tales of great warriors etc,. To some countries war is the most exciting part of life, believe it or not. Just goes on like that.