South Asia News
Afghan civilians, Taliban reported killed in airstrike (Roundup)
Jun 30, 2007, 13:55 GMT
Kabul - Afghan officials launched an inquiry Saturday following reports that as many as 120 civilians and Taliban fighters were killed in a coalition airstrike following an ambush on Afghan and US forces in the country's south.
The airstrike took place Friday night in Gerishk district of southern Helmand province after an attack began when militants blew up two of coalition vehicles.
Haji Dur Alishah, mayor of Gerishk district, who has been appointed by provincial authorities as the head of a team to investigate the incident, said: 'We can confirm that 30 civilians including women and children have been killed in the air bombardment.'
Alishah insisted that the figure was preliminary and said an exact number would be announced once the investigation was over. He could not however give any exact death toll for the Islamist extremist Taliban.
Haji Noor Ali, a landlord in Gerishk district told dpa that over 30 civilians including women and children were killed in the airstrike, and that the people planned to take the dead bodies to provincial authorities to prove their claims.
Mohammad Hussain Andewal, provincial police chief of Helmand province, said an initial report indicated that at least one dozen civilians and over 40 Taliban fighters were killed in the air raid.
The incident occurred Friday afternoon.
'Two US military vehicles were blown up by mines in Kakalran area of Gerishk district on Friday afternoon and militants then opened fire on the forces,' Alishah told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa earlier.
'The coalition forces then bombed the village between 10:00 pm (1730 GMT) to 12:00 pm (1930 GMT) and killed between 120 to 130 both civilians and armed men,' he said previously, citing local officials and residents.
Five houses were completely destroyed in the bombardment, he said, adding that 'local villagers were so angry that they did not let our investigating team really find out the number of civilians casualties.'
He said that eight wounded villagers were brought to provincial hospitals from the area.
Colonel Maria Carl, spokesperson for NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, confirmed that civilians were killed in the incident, but disputed the possibility of high numbers.
'Some of the speculation of the number is probably way, way too high. I don't have any bottom line. It would be much, much lower numbers,' Carl said.
US military spokesman Major Chris Belcher also confirmed that there were civilian casualties in the strike.
The mounting civilian casualties have sparked widespread criticism both inside Afghanistan and in the international community. President Hamid Karzai warned last week that the NATO forces would fail in Afghanistan if the civilian losses continued.
'Afghan lives are not cheap,' Karzai said in his strongest outburst to date.
Reacting to the news, Alexander Downer, Australian Foreign Minister, who is visiting his country's troops in Afghanistan, told a press conference on Saturday that the international forces were not intentionally target the civilians but they were caught in cross- fire.
'Most of civilian casualties have be caused by the Taliban, they target civilians, they murder civilians, they fight with the cowardly protection of the civilians, they encourage accidental civilian casualties for their propaganda purposes,' Downer said.
Meanwhile, Afghan officials claimed on Saturday to have killed 28 suspected Taliban in separate incidents in southern and eastern parts of the country.
NATO-led and Afghan forces clashed with Taliban fighters in Sangin district of Helmand province on Friday afternoon, killing at least 15 militants, Andewal said. He said that there were no casualties among joint forces.
Also on Friday, militants attacked a police convoy of Afghan police in Zurmat district of south-eastern Paktika province, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
'The army soldiers supported by coalition forces immediately responded and killed some 13 suspected Taliban and arrested 13 others in the area,' the statement said.
On Thursday, one Afghan soldier killed in a mine explosion in Sewry district of Zabul province, while three others were wounded in a similar incident in Helmand province.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
' White people, especially Americans, seem to have a propensity for violence and war '
Yes , that is why Africa , Asia , The Middle East , etc etc is so full of peace and love , blame ' Mighty Whitey ' for Rwanda and Darfur and Cambodia and the endless war and Genocide that has been going on long before America existed .
When Canadians order air strikes or long range artillery attacks it is Canadas fault not anyone elses . Canada orders which targets they choose to hit , as do all countries whatever color label you choose to use .
anyone supporting the enemy is the enemy.
'Love your enemy.'
-Jesus Christ
'An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.'
-Mahatma Gandhi
'We are all one.'
-Quantum Physics and the Unified Field Theory
evoLve.
O
V
E.....>
Dont be a racist against white people. YES, YOURE A RACIST, YOU RACIST!
Its not a 'white people' thing RACIST. Its a Imperialist, capitalist thing.
P.S. If you dont know what those words mean RACIST, look it up on wikipedia.
Quit this rediculous name calling. Americans are killing children in the name of rooting out an elusive enemy. If someone were doing this to American children, no matter how justified the cause, you would not hear the end of the outcry against the barbarism. How can anyone say that these children are also enemies? I am ashamed to be an American. I apologize to the families killed in Afganistan.
' Americans are killing children ' The point is EVERYONE is ' killing children ' not just ' Americans ' or ' whites ' and the undisputable fact is 95 percent of all children that are killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and every where else are not killed by Americans .
America has nothing to do with it , it has been going on long before America existed .
'I am you'
No you're not.
So civilians have again suffered because the Talicowards have hidden amongst them and then launched an attack on Canadian Troops. And there are people commenting that its a white racist conspiracy?
Might be better if the civilians realise that letting the Talicowards hide amongst them is hazardous to their health so do their best to get away from them, and the Talicowards realise that their cowardice is not protecting themselves (note they don't actually care what happens to the civilians.. they threaten and apply death and disfigurement if they oppose them)
Let the blame lie with the guilty. The Talicowards.
page: 1
US/UK/NATO Coalition of Murderers!Jun 30th, 2007 - 18:57:52
More Afghani non-combatants dead. Whole Afghani villages destroyed. White people, especially Americans, seem to have a propensity for violence and war. Even in situations where it is clear that there is no solution using weapons, the Occidentals continue to kill. Senseless, insane, and useless violence is their forte. One again the U.S. puppet Afghan President Hamid Karzi bemoans the deaths of innocent non-combatants and as always his pleas fall upon death ears. Karzi is only a stooge for his American masters and he does not really care about the people of Afghanistan. The U.S./U.K./N.A.T.O. Coalition will be unsuccessful in their efforts to rule over drug trade and build oil and natural gas pipelines from Central Asia in Afghanistan. The U.S./U.K./N.A.T.O. troops will eventually be forced into a shameful and humiliating retreat. The Soviet Red Army could not subdue Afghanistan with a military force of 150,000. How do the U.S./U.K./N.A.T.O. imperialists think that they can control the country with 50,000 troops? Everyday in Afghanistan an American soldier in needlessly dying. Every week dozens of U.S. soldiers are injured in Afghanistan, many are maimed for life, some lose arms and legs. Some physical scars heal with time, the mental scars never do. The U.S./U.K./N.A.T.O. troops in Afghanistan are afraid and scared. The female U.S. troops are also fearful of both dying in war and afraid of being raped by an American serviceman. Are you warmongers happy when a U.S. life is wasted in Afghanistan? Are the families of the dead U.S. troops proud to have sacrificed their loved ones on the alter of imperialism? Soon all of the Afghani people, the moderates and the radicals will unite and force the devils from the Occident, who ride the Biblical Pale Horse, out of their country and establish an Islamic State in Afghanistan.
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