HDNet's 'Dan Rather Reports' Presents the Story of Civilian Casualties From the Places That Western Cameras Rarely Go

HDNet's 'Dan Rather Reports' Presents the Story of Civilian Casualties From the Places That Western Cameras Rarely Go

A rare and shocking look at the war in Afghanistan from the point of view of the Afghan citizens - Tuesday, May 19 at 8:00 p.m. ET

DALLAS, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- What does the aftermath of a U.S. Special Forces raid that leaves five dead look like to Afghan villagers? How does the American military fight the false propaganda of the Taliban? What kind of medical care does a 15-year-old shooting victim get in Kandahar's hospital? These are just a few of the questions posed in an hour-long investigation on tomorrow's "Dan Rather Reports".

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Reporter/Producer Lucian Read spent weeks driving across Afghanistan, talking to people who never get to tell their stories on American television. The result is an in-depth and comprehensive look at the problem of civilian casualties - caused by both coalition and Taliban forces. The camera goes behind the battle lines to capture a controversial side of the war that is rarely reported but is of the utmost significance. Everyone, from the President of the United States to senior military commanders to the Afghan government to aid workers to the Afghans themselves, agrees the issue of civilian casualties could mean the difference between success and failure for the forces of democracy in the country.

The program begins with a close look at a raid by U.S. Special Forces in the dead of night in a small northern town. Local villagers say everyone who was killed was innocent, but the top U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan says that four high value targets were seized. Greatly differing narratives between insurgents and coalition forces are common in this war - and are used as ammunition in the battle for Afghan hearts and minds.

But civilian casualties cut both ways. Our cameras capture the aftermath of a suicide bombing at an Afghan hospital in the southern city of Kandahar where a mother loses her life in front of her three children. The Taliban kill more civilians than Americans and other pro-government troops, yet the Americans, with their precision weapons and promises of stability, get more of the blame. The Taliban have become masters of public relations.

"They've learned that if they can't defeat the air weapon, and if they don't have any real counter against it, they're unable to shoot us down, they're unable to really counter the weapons, then they've decided to try to counter it with an information operations campaign, and they're very adept at that," said Air Force Brigadier General Mike Holmes who's responsible for most of the air power in the region. "They'll pull their wounded or dead off the battlefield. They'll sometimes disguise their wounded or dead. They'll write a press release. They'll take cell phone footage. They'll make the scene look the way that they want it to look to tell the story that they wanna tell."

Human rights advocates who are sympathetic to the Americans say that military tactics must change. "You know, in some cases, we have one or two insurgents. And we go to a village and bomb the entire village," said Hekmat Karzai, the cousin of the Afghan President who runs the Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies in Kabul. "Unfortunately, we're not really maintaining our relationship with the Afghan population to make sure that they continue to support us."

Lucien Read also visits Bagran Air Field to talk to pilots who drop the bombs that have become such an issue in this war. They talk about the steps they take to minimize civilian casualties and why air power is vital to American success. Also, Dan Rather sits down for a wide-ranging interview with a young American who spent a year in Afghanistan documenting cases of civilian casualties.

"Dan Rather Reports: The Raid on Imam Sahib" premieres on HDNet, Tuesday, May 19 at 8:00 p.m. ET with a re-air 11:00 p.m. ET to accommodate West Coast Prime Time.

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HDNet is the exclusive, high definition home for popular, original programming, including television's only HD news feature programs "HDNet World Report," and the Emmy Award winning "Dan Rather Reports," featuring legendary journalist Dan Rather. Only HDNet goes beyond the headlines to deliver real news that is redefining the way we look at our world. HDNet News is provocative, sometimes controversial and always relevant - telling the important stories of our time in-depth, with attitude and with independence.

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Source: HDNet

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