"We had to destroy the village in order to save it." - "25 Tons of Bombs Wipe Afghan Town Off Map."

We never learn, apparently.

25 Tons of Bombs Wipe Afghan Town Off Map [Updated] | Danger Room | Wired.com:

"An American-led military unit pulverized an Afghan village in Kandahar’s Arghandab River Valley in October, after it became overrun with Taliban insurgents. It’s hard to understand how turning an entire village into dust fits into America’s counterinsurgency strategy — which supposedly prizes the local people’s loyalty above all else.

But it’s the latest indication that Gen. David Petraeus, the counterinsurgency icon, is prosecuting a frustrating war with surprising levels of violence. Some observers already fear a backlash brewing in the area..."

The reference, for those unfamiliar, from Vietnam - Bến Tre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: :

"'It became necessary to destroy the town to save it,' a United States major said today. He was talking about the decision by allied commanders to bomb and shell the town regardless of civilian casualties, to rout the Vietcong."  The quote was distorted in subsequent publications, eventually becoming the more familiar, "We had to destroy the village in order to save it."

Hat tip - Living Freedom » Blog Archive » Monday miscellany