Thread by @Americas_Crimes

On this day in 2009, the US military deliberately and repeatedly bombed the homes of Afghan villagers, killing 140 civilians (including 93 children) & destroying an entire village. #GranaiMassacre

The bombing was one of the most deadly incidents for civilians of the last 80 years in Afghanistan. The attack occurred in several waves over 2 hours. Villagers said no Taliban were in the village at the time of the attack.

The US air strikes including three F-18 fighter jets, which dropped five laser-and satellite-guided bombs, and a B-1 bomber, which dropped “three 500-pound satellite-guided bombs, four 500-pound and two 2,000-pound satellite-guided bombs.

Villagers’ mud-brick houses provided little protection. The bombs ripped people to shreds. Survivors said they collected only pieces of bodies & several said they never found some of their relatives. One elderly man lost 30 members of his family.

“It was like Judgment Day," Habibullah, a health worker who witnessed the attacks, said. "Words cannot describe how terrible it was. Who can bear to see so many killed, from a two-day-old baby to a 70-year-old woman?"

Nine year-old Nazo said “I heard a loud explosion and the compound was burning and the roof fell in." Seven members of the family with her died and four were wounded, her father Malham, said.

“The foreigners are guilty,” Malham continued. “Why don’t they bomb their targets, but instead they come and bomb our houses?” The US has refused to take responsibility for the massacre despite independent investigations finding the US was responsible.

The US has video of the massacre & said it would release it to “prove” the attack was justified; however, the US never released the video. The same video was leaked to Wikileaks by Chelsea Manning, but was destroyed before it could be released. pri.org/stories/2013-0…

Read more: archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.co…

Pictures of the victims: pulitzercenter.org/reporting/civi…