Apparently only some children are worth it
Thursday 25 October 2012
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EmailWho are Borjan, Sardar Wali and Khan Bibi? They were three Afghan children killed by a US air strike on Sunday October 14 in the Nawa district of Helmand province in Afghanistan.
The attack, called a "precision strike" by the military, was reportedly aimed at several Taliban fighters who were allegedly planting an improvised explosive device (IED) in the road.
But the strike also killed three children, 12-year-old Borjan, Sardar Wali, 10 and Khan Bibi, 8, all from one family who were nearby collecting dung for fuel.
A few days earlier, not too far away, Malala Yousafzai 14, was shot in the head supposedly by a Pakistan Taliban gunman. Malala has subsequently been sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. I hope that Malala makes a full recovery and is able to restart the education that she so desperately seeks.
Why do we know the name Malala but not Borjan, Sardar Wali and Khan Bibi?
The former is, unbeknown to her, a useful tool of the imperialistic west whilst the latter are most definitely not. Has William Hague raised the name of the deceased Afghan children? Has the British liberal media?
John Andrews
London NW7
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