2021-10-27 Group protests U.S. drone program (with MEK comments)
MEK Posted Comments 2021-10-30
As a Congressional candidate for Congress, I want it to be clear that attacking and assassinating people in a country we are not at war with is a serious war crime and in violation of our U.S. Constitution and International Law. Unilateral acts of aggression against other nations is a serious violation of the United Nations Charter which the U.S. is a pledged member. Further our attacks on Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Somalia without official Congressional Declarations of War have been a serious violation of our own Constitution and has undermined the credibility and respect that the U.S. has all around the world. In this regard, the death of millions of people and destruction of the lives of countless millions more by our country’s actions have been a horrendous crime against humanity.
As the world’s richest and most powerful nation in the world it should be America’s honored duty to promote peace and cooperation among all nations. As a nation we have fail badly as we have promoted war, terror and instability around the world in countless ways militarily, economically and diplomatically. At a time of an extreme “civilization threatening” world crisis, the world’s nations and people’s need to unite like never before to save this planet from the looming world climate catastrophe of runaway climate change. www.CreatingBetterWorld.org Michael E. kerr
Group protests U.S. drone program
Appeal-Democrat 2021-10-27
https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2415365469585/group-protests-u-s-drone-program
Activists from Ban Killer Drones, CODEPINK and Veterans For Peace hold a sign outside of Wheatland Gate at Beale Air Force Base along S. Beale Road on Tuesday during a protest against U.S. military drone strikes. Robert Summa/Appeal-Democrat
A handful of protesters gathered early Tuesday morning at Beale Air Force Base to bring attention to the deadly consequences of the U.S. military drone program by blocking the entrance to the Wheatland Gate at the base.
Standing just outside the line that divides the public road and base property, activists from Ban Killer Drones, CODEPINK and Veterans For Peace held a large sign with big letters that read “U.S. DRONE KILLS KABUL FAMILY” as they blocked the right lane of S. Beale Road with dozens of cars parked, waiting to enter the base.
Toby Blomé, organizer of the event and member of Ban Killer Drones and CODEPINK, led the other activists toward the locked gate as she spoke to soldiers on the other side over a loudspeaker.
“We are citizens of the United States that are really appalled at what our military is doing in the world with endless wars where tens of thousands of people, hundreds of thousands in Iraq, they say possibly 1.5 million have been killed … these wars that are non-ending, they go on and on,” Blomé said to the Beale soldiers who stood patiently behind the gate, one holding back a dog on a leash. “We’ve never had a situation like this in U.S. history, usually our wars end … the Afghan war is supposedly over but it really isn’t because the U.S. is still dropping drone missiles in Afghanistan. Terrorizing the communities there. The state of endless war is unacceptable.”
As Blomé continued to speak and walk closer to the gate, a captain behind the gate asked if she was the leader of the group and began to read a statement from a card in his hand.
“I am Captain Ricky Sizemore from the United States Air Force Security Forces. Entering Beale Air Force Base without permission from the commander is unauthorized and is in violation of federal law,” he said as Blomé interrupted him by continuing to speak about what she and others see as an unjust use of force overseas by the U.S. military.
What Blomé and these groups were particularly pointing attention to was a recent Reaper drone strike in Afghanistan that killed 10 civilians, including children.
The attack, which happened on Aug. 29, was in response to ISIS activity in Kabul following the U.S. pullout of Afghanistan and the recent bombing by the terrorist organization that killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 100 Afghans at Kabul’s airport.
In retaliation for this attack and in its efforts to protect troops at the airport, the U.S. carried out what it called a “righteous strike” against a vehicle that American officials believed contained a bomb.
That car, however, was being driven by Zemari Ahmadi, a longtime worker for Nutrition and Education International, a nonprofit aid group based out of Pasadena. The strike not only killed the aid worker, but also family members that included his three children, Zamir, 20, Faisal, 16, and Farzad, 10; his brother’s children, Arwin, 7, Benyamin, 6, and Hayat, 2; and two 3-year-old girls, Malika and Somaya.
U.S. military officials initially justified their actions by claiming a larger blast took place afterward, suggesting that a bomb was in the vehicle. However, according to an investigation by the New York Times, no evidence of a second and more powerful explosion was found.
“It seriously questions the credibility of the intelligence or technology utilized to determine this was a legitimate target,” Chris Cobb-Smith, a British Army veteran and security consultant, told the Times.
After the Times investigation was made public, the military conceded that a “tragic mistake” had been made.
“The Ahmadi family drone massacre that occurred in Kabul last month is not an example of accidental mis-judgement. It is an example of an ongoing criminal pattern of abuse whereby the U.S. assumes the right to kill a person on suspicion alone, just in case that person may be a threat, while also sacrificing everyone else who happens to be in the area.” Blomé said in a news release to the press before the planned protest at Beale. “Clearly the U.S. drone program is an illegal and failing program that only creates more enemies.”
As part of the protest, the activists made demands, including reparations for the family members left behind after the drone strike against Ahmadi.
After making several statements, Blomé gave an open letter meant for Col. Heather Fox, commander of the base, to one of the military police behind the locked gate describing the actions taken against Ahmadi and calling for the “immediate halt to all U.S. drone attacks.”
Blomé said these protests happened regularly before the COVID-19 pandemic and she was hopeful that they would continue moving forward.
“The pandemic interrupted us,” she said. “But we are going to try to increase it (the protests).”
According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 117 civilians were killed by U.S. drones in “areas of active hostilities” between 2009 and 2016 and about 3,000 enemy combatants were killed during the same period.
2021-09-03 Can America give me back my Malika’: Families of victims of the US drone strike in Kabul speak of their grief For the Ahmadis, the Sunday afternoon was like any other. Cousins, friends and families of different age groups were mingling in the family courtyard, playing pranks and watching videos. The eldest, Zemari, 40, had just returned from work after dropping off his colleagues. He was employed as an engineer at the US based nonprofit NEI foundation. His oldest son Zameer, 20, was keen to park his Toyota Corolla in the driveway, so he obliged. Some cousins lined up to cheer them at the building’s entrance. It was 5pm Kabul time when the missile hit. It instantly killed Zemari and nine other family members. His three sons Zameer, 20, Faisal and Farzad, 10, died. Zemari’s siblings Emal and Ramal Ahmadi and their wives survived the attack – but their children, Armin,4, Benjamin, 3, Ayat, 2, and Malika, 3 were killed.
2021-09-01 U.S. drone strike targeting ISIS in Afghanistan kills 10 civilians, family says
White House pressed on ‘tragic mistake’ in Kabul airstrike that killed 10 civilians
2021-09-10 Biden droned the wrong guy, innocent aid worker killed in Kabul strike: NYT
2021-10-15 U.S. Pledges to Pay Family of Those Killed in Botched Kabul Drone Strike
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OPEN LETTER to Beale AFB Commander Heather Fox
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