Afghan officials have claimed that an apparent Nato air strike killed 15 people – nine of them civilians, including women and children – in an eastern province where the Taliban are strong. Nato said 10 militants died in the strike, and that it had no reports of any civilian deaths.
Civilian deaths in Nato operations have long been a sore point between the Afghan government and the U.S.-led troops in the country, and they have been a major factor in the animosity many Afghans feel toward foreign forces. Conflicting accounts of who or how many died also are common, especially when remote, dangerous regions are involved and access by independent observers is restricted.
The latest disputed air strike occurred in the Watapur district of Kunar province, which lies near the border with Pakistan. It's a militant stronghold, and many Arab and other foreign insurgents are believed to operate there alongside the Afghan Taliban. Some are suspected of links to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
Kunar province Police Chief Abdul Habib Sayed Khaili said the air strike hit a pickup truck carrying the women and children in Qoro village soon after three Arab and three Afghan militants boarded it Saturday evening. He said some reports called it a drone strike, but that Afghan officials had been unable to confirm that. Of the 15 dead, four were women, four were children and one was the driver, the police official said.
Watapur district chief Zalmai Yousefi confirmed the air strike. He also said 15 people were killed, including women and children.
Nato spokeswoman 1st Lt. Annmarie Annicelli confirmed that the military alliance carried out a "precision strike" that killed 10 "enemy forces," but that it had received no reports of any civilians dying in the air strike. Annicelli had no immediate details on who exactly the dead were or what prompted the air strike. (Telegraph)
Civilian deaths in Nato operations have long been a sore point between the Afghan government and the U.S.-led troops in the country, and they have been a major factor in the animosity many Afghans feel toward foreign forces. Conflicting accounts of who or how many died also are common, especially when remote, dangerous regions are involved and access by independent observers is restricted.
The latest disputed air strike occurred in the Watapur district of Kunar province, which lies near the border with Pakistan. It's a militant stronghold, and many Arab and other foreign insurgents are believed to operate there alongside the Afghan Taliban. Some are suspected of links to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
Kunar province Police Chief Abdul Habib Sayed Khaili said the air strike hit a pickup truck carrying the women and children in Qoro village soon after three Arab and three Afghan militants boarded it Saturday evening. He said some reports called it a drone strike, but that Afghan officials had been unable to confirm that. Of the 15 dead, four were women, four were children and one was the driver, the police official said.
Watapur district chief Zalmai Yousefi confirmed the air strike. He also said 15 people were killed, including women and children.
Nato spokeswoman 1st Lt. Annmarie Annicelli confirmed that the military alliance carried out a "precision strike" that killed 10 "enemy forces," but that it had received no reports of any civilians dying in the air strike. Annicelli had no immediate details on who exactly the dead were or what prompted the air strike. (Telegraph)
Source : afghan Voice Agency (AVA), International Service
