Originally Posted by nousername

All I can say it's really terrible what's going on in Afghanistan

Agreed.

civilians dying everyday

terrible

drones and bombs, firefights, etc.

Not to mention "suicide" bombings and outright murders....all terrible.

Their is so much killing on a daily basis that I can understand why people are outraged that some westerners, no matter how good their intentions are, get all the attention when nobody even knows the names of the civilians killed daily.

Disagree that the facts, as presented in this sentence, are true. Here is why:
1) If only the deaths of westerners received attention, then no one would be aware that others have died. This thread alone, let alone other news reports (including reports that do occur in westerner media), give evidence that people around the world are aware that there are other deaths besides those of westerners.
2) I find it highly unlikely that nobody knows the names of the civilians who are killed in Afghanistan.
2a) The families and friends of those civilians who are killed surley know their names.
2b) Media tend to report that which they anticipate will be of interest to their viewers/readers. And, therefore, western media (rightly or wrongly) make an assumption that western readers/viewers are going to be more interested in the deaths of people viewed as having ties with the west than from other places around the globe. (This is not the best journalism in my opinion, but seems to be universally practiced.) Thus those who utilize western media may be led, falsely in my opinion, the the view that nobody knows the names of Afghan civilians who are killed. But I suspect that media that reports to Afghan populations are very much aware of those names and report them just as much as the western media report on western names to western audiences. If not, they should be.
2c) Lastly, let us not forget that Daniel Terry, the only name I know, was himself a civilian, and that I know him not as a westerner but as a person from Afghanistan.

---Edit-----------------------------------

1a) The UN just released a report detailing civilian deaths in Afghanistan. The report was carried extensively by virtually all western media today.

Originally Posted by Lynx

I am not surprised. Aid workers have been dying in Afhganistan/Iraq/Africa forever. It's a risk that these people take when they try to help people. But obviously, the fact that these events are inevitable don't make them excusable.

Once again, stop crying. Muslims are dying by the millions and I know you couldn't care less you hypocrite.

Originally Posted by Argamemnon

Once again, stop crying. Muslims are dying by the millions and I know you couldn't care less you hypocrite.

Millions? I believe this is at best a case of hyperbole.

The number of Afghan civilians killed in the war torn country rose 25 per cent in the first six months of 2010, despite a reduction in the number of civilian deaths caused by NATO action, a UN report said Tuesday.

The report showed that the Afghan war is getting even more deadly because of insurgent actions against civilians, undermining coalition efforts to improve security in the country.

"The human cost of this conflict is unfortunately rising," Staffan De Mistura, the top UN envoy in Afghanistan, said while releasing the report. "We are very concerned about the future because the human cost is being paid too heavily by civilians. This report is a wake-up call."

According to the report by the Human Rights Unit of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, 1,271 Afghans died and 1,997 were injured, mostly in bombings -- in the first six months of 2010.

In comparison, there were 1,013 civilian deaths in the first six months of 2009.

The UN said insurgents were responsible for 72 per cent of those deaths in 2010, compared to 58 per cent in 2009.

Even though the UN blames insurgents for almost three-quarters of the deaths, the report could undermine the mission as the Afghan public is increasingly blaming the U.S.-led mission for the violence.

De Mistura argues that the Taliban is hurting its long-term goals by killing so many civilians.

"If they want to be part of a future Afghanistan, they cannot do so over the bodies of so many civilians," de Mistura said. "One day, when unavoidably there will be a discussion about the future of the country, will you want to come to that table with thousands of Afghans, civilians, killed along the road?"

Civilian deaths from coalition actions were down 18 per cent in the first half of 2010. Deaths dropped to 223 from 310 in 2009, mostly due to a decrease in air strikes, the report said.

Air bombings accounted for 31 per cent of civilian deaths caused by pro-government forces.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the former NATO commander, introduced strict new rules for air strikes, a policy change his successor, Gen. David Petraeus, has continued.

"Every Afghan death diminishes our cause," Petraeus said in a statement "We know the measure by which our mission will be judged is protecting the population from harm by either side. We will redouble our efforts to prevent insurgents from harming their neighbors."

With files from The Associated Press
(source: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories...ilians-100810/)

Even using the highest figure for all estimates of civilian deaths from any source, the total for the entire war (including the combined effect of actions of all foreign and national militaries, Taliban, insurgents, and freedom fighters) is 12,969 direct deaths and 20,000 indirect deaths for a grand total of roughly 33,000 total deaths 2001 to 2009 inclusive. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilia...2%80%93present) Add the 1300 civilian deaths so far this year reported by the UN and you have a total of just under 34,300 -- which is itself is waaaay too many, but also waaaaaaaaaay less (by hundreds of thousands) than the term "millions" which you used to describe what is happening.

Your barbaric and terrorist government has killed, maimed, tortured and displaced millions of Iraqis, but I know the life of one Christian missionary is far more important to westerners.

5 Million Iraqis Killed, Maimed, Tortured, Displaced -- Think That Bothers War Boosters Like Christopher Hitchens?

http://www.alternet.org/story/147281...opher_hitchens

Originally Posted by Argamemnon

Once again, stop crying. Muslims are dying by the millions and I know you couldn't care less you hypocrite.

Please quote me where I have said I don't care about 'millions of Muslims' dying. If you can't, I expect an apology for calling me a hypocrite. Thank you.