Last time it was the Americans in Afghanistan. This time it is the Russians in Syria. The common theme of the two is the deaths not just of the sick and wounded, but of the super-brave who volunteer to care for them when they could instead lead ordinary lives in a safe country and earn a good living.
Another common theme is that whatever the sophistication of modern weapons systems, accidents like this, which all combatants know to be PR disasters, will occur. Finally it opens once again the question, what do these wars achieve? First we have unstable and violent Iraq, then we have the same in Afghanistan. Next comes Libya, a failed state turned bandit country. And now Syria. It started as an event within the false dawn of the Arab spring, a quarrel between Sunni and the Alawite ruler and his ally the Shia. The West did nothing to damp down the strife; it encouraged the overthrow of Assad and even announced he had fled. Just look at Syria now. Is there no diplomatic conscience?
Now everybody is mixed up in the fighting, not just IS and Al Qaeda, but Russia, the US, Britain and France and now Turkey and soon Saudi Arabia. They are not fighting each other, neither are they fighting the same enemies. But everyone is fighting a completely pointless war to gain control of a country in ruins. If you are unlucky enough to be Syrian the threat to your safety comes from all directions and is overwhelming. No wonder millions have fled.