Eight newborns were among 18 civilians killed on Saturday when Iraqi warplanes hit a hospital in the northern town of Hawija, which is controlled by Islamic State militants, Iraqi media reported.
At least 16 people were also wounded in the bombardment, a hospital official told independent Iraqi website Alsumaria News.
The hospital building was heavily damaged, while the premature baby ward collapsed, according to the report.
Should we expect the State Department condemning this “disgraceful” action by the Iraqi air force, and will it be “appalled” by this attack? Should we expect an explosion of outrage by tens of thousands of demonstrators in Germany and France? Will anyone even notice?
My first reaction is that it is probably a reflection of an incompetent Iraqi Air Force. Now, if the Iraqis were known to have excellent pilots that could deliver GPS guided bombs with extreme precision, I would probably have a different first reaction.
Also, are Iraqi officials saying that the hospital was a legitimate target? That makes a difference, too.
It appears to be a matter that’s entirely internal to Iraq (and the Caliphate, if you want to recognize their hopefully short-term de facto existence). Foreign condemnation or approbation means nothing unless it’s followed by some sort of intervention. I fail to see how this would shift sympathy towards the Caliphate, or how it would change our assessment of the Iraqi military’s dismal competence. So basically: so what? I mean, it’s a terrible tragedy, but just one of zillions going on there right now. War is hell, and the nations of the West aren’t going there. Our leaders are unwilling to risk domestic political capital on the kind of commitment that would actually stabilize the region.
Is that even conceivable? Wouldn’t that require total conquest and martial law, for a period not to end before the erosion of the Great Pyramid to sand?
Oh, I see. You are attempting to call people out on a double standard.
Why couldn’t you just say that in the OP? Or in your reply to me, rather than making me play stupid guessing games as to your intent?
Yes, I agree. Not all human lives are valued equally to the US government, but vary according to their relationship to money, power, prestige, and the opinions, feelings, and sometimes whims of the American people.
I, however, will crawl out on a fragile limb and roundly condemn the killing of ANY civilian children. In fact, I condemn the killing of any civilian and any child, full stop. I strongly dislike the actions of the state of Israel, of Hamas, of the Caliphate, and of the Iraqi government. None of them are good people, though all (I’m sure) have good people among their ranks. On second thought, maybe not the Caliphate.
As far as what it would take to stablize the region, yeah, there may not be any such power. Very sad.
I suppose when ISIS is reduced to a small band with shitty, incredibly ineffective rockets like Hamas, when the Iraqi military has similar equipment and training to that of Israel, and then when this happens time after time while Iraq and its supporters wail about how they’re the good guys and criticism is mean, we’ll have a valid comparison.
That’s why I’m reluctant to support even a limited air campaign against ISIS. The moment one of those bombs goes astray and hits something unintended, like a hospital, wedding party, milk powder factory, whatever, the world is going to be up in arms in outrage and we’d have shit for thanks.
As I pointed out, 8 infants died. Hospital destroyed. 18 people died altogether. Not one mention of it in any US mass media. Or British mass media. Or European mass media. Just a couple of Australian mentions, and some in Middle East. I don’t see any “up in arms in outrage”. Do you?