Struggling to Emulate Our Subtler Freedoms

As so often over the past dozen years, or possibly the last couple of centuries, Mission Afghanistan is looking as accomplished as ever. The newly-civilised security forces have been emulating their democratic betters by bombing a wedding party in the grand coalition manner; almost thirty people have been killed and more than fifty wounded, but unfortunately the forces of freedom seem to have failed at the most important part of the enterprise. Reports are referring to the potential terrorist compound as a house and to the collateral damage as women and children, and there is even some suggestion that police may be trying to determine whether the attack was justified militarily or only morally. However accomplished our own mission may be, it is clear that the Afghan army still has a great deal to learn.