The Torch: Losing the infowar in Afstan

Excerpts from a good post at The Canada-Afghanistan Blog:

The Taliban and Civilian Casualties
...
As soon as an airstrike is carried out, the information battle begins. We are very bad at this, and part of that is inherent and unavoidable: proper investigations take time.

In the meantime, media outlets are often contacted within an hour of an airstrike by certain "informers", letting them know how many civilians died. In most cases, the numbers are impossible to verify and seem abnormally high, but the only way for us to reasonably respond is to announce an investigation. Even if that investiagtion clears us of wrongdoing, it's usually too late for the PR front. As Twain said, a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still tying its shoes.

Unfortunately, as Joshua Foust has covered extensively, American military officials have often responded unreasonably and immediately denied any civilian casualties. This makes them look foolish (or worse) when it turns out later that, yes, at least some of the dead were civilians, even if the number is not nearly as high as originally reported. See Azizabad for a particularly vivid example of this...

This stuff is just as important as the military side of things. We have to be better than the other side in getting out the information on what happened--accurate information. We have to beat them at the propaganda game...

A couple of relevant posts here and here.

Update: US not backing down; let's hope the infowar can be stepped up:

More Airstrikes Against Taliban Possible, Says U.S. Official

National security adviser James L. Jones said yesterday that the U.S. military should keep open the option of airstrikes against Taliban forces in western Afghanistan, but he acknowledged warnings by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that civilian deaths from such attacks are damaging both governments' moral standing and support.

The Afghan government says as many as 130 civilians were killed last Monday and Tuesday by U.S. bombs. Such a toll would rank as the deadliest incident since U.S. forces began fighting in Afghanistan in 2001, but U.S. officials called the number of casualties "extremely overexaggerated."

"Civilian casualties are undermining support in the Afghan people for the war on terrorism and for the relations with America," Karzai said on NBC's "Meet the Press [May 10--video below]." "How can you expect a people who keep losing their children to remain friendly?" [Earlier: "Afghan's Karzai demands U.S. halt air strikes: report"]

Jones and Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander over the region, said the United States will redouble efforts to ensure that military commanders understand the need to minimize civilian casualties.

Petraeus, who heads U.S. Central Command, promised "a very thorough investigation," but he said Taliban fighters bear "enormous blame" for the toll in Farah province last week, when they apparently used civilians as human shields as they clashed with U.S. forces.

"We're going to take a look at trying to make sure that we correct those things we can correct," Jones said on ABC's "This Week," "but certainly to tie the hands of our commanders and say we're not going to conduct airstrikes, it would be imprudent."

Jones added: "What makes it difficult is the Taliban, of course, not playing by the same rules."

Meet the Press video of interviews with Pakistani president Zardari and president Karzai (latter at "Length 31:41"):