NATO forces kill Afghan civilian, seven suspected militants

Feb 6, 2009, 8:52 GMT

   Kabul - Seven suspected militants were killed in clashes with US-led troops in eastern and southern Afghanistan, while NATO forces shot to death an Afghan civilian after suspecting him to be a suicide bomber, officials said Friday.

   The US military troops killed one suspected militant and detained nine others in a operation in Maghzoori area in the south-eastern province of Khost on Thursday, the US military said in a statement.

   The men were suspected of being involved in suicide attacks against the coalition forces in the region, the statement said, adding the forces discovered bomb-making materials, assault rifles, pistols, and more than 400 rounds of ammunition in the targeted compound.

   Separately, the US military claimed to have killed another six suspected militants and detained three others in an operation that targeted a bomb-making-cell in Jaldak district of the southern Zabul province on Thursday.

   The statement said that the coalition troops protected 24 women and 45 children during the clash with the militants.

   However, Tolo, a private TV channel, citing local villagers and members of a provincial council in Zabul, said that the six men killed in the operation were 'innocent civilians.'

   In a another incident in Nad Ali district of the southern Helmand province on Tuesday, NATO-led forces killed an Afghan civilian after they suspected him to be a suicide bomber.

   The man, who was riding a motorcycle at high speed directly towards a NATO patrol, failed to stop despite verbal signals and warning shots, a statement said.

   'When the rider again failed to respond, refusing to stop, change course or reduce speed, aimed shots were then fired. Unfortunately the rider was killed and only later confirmed not to be a suicide bomber,' it said.

   Civilian casualties have become a delicate issue in Afghanistan. The mounting civilian deaths have strained the relations between Afghan government and its military backers, the US and NATO forces.

   More than 2,100 civilians were among over 5,000 people killed in the conflict last year.

   Taliban-led violence is on the rise despite the presence of around 70,000 international fores. Up to 30,000 additional US troops are expected to arrive in Afghanistan in the next 12 to 18 months to contain the insurgency.