bombarding Independent Colonies

[EvilTom84]

Is it possible to bombard independent colonies?

I've given it a go and am not given the option when shift right clicking or control right clicking. I get an option to attack, but nothing happens except it clears the area around the colony of pirates and enemies. Yes the ship was loaded with bombard weapons. I specifically built a 'siege' cruiser with lots of nukes on it to wipe out some rats from an ice planet. This is early in the game so no shields. I didn't want to colonise them and then have to wait to exterminate them to get rid of them, so I thought I could bombard them, but no.

Am I doing something wrong, or is it impossible?

[SunChaser]

Well I've no experience wiping out innocent independents, but I think you can invade it with ground troops, remove the units, and set tax to max and occupation policy to exterminate. They will rebel, then I think you can nuke them.

Alternatively you can just delete the population from the planet, though you won't get a rep hit as well.

[ASHBERY76]

How do you know they are innocent independents?

I think you can do this by zooming out to the galaxy map and right click on fleet then bombard.

[EvilTom84]

I'll give this galaxy map route a go tonight. Thanks for the response.

Well it's really not to annihilate the people as such... it's to destroy the pirate bases that are on them. I don't want to invade them with troops or colonise them really, that would overstretch my resources.

I just want to build one bombard cruiser, send it along when there's a gap and nuke it.

[mordachai]

Special forces are good anti-pirate troops.