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30 Afghan civilians said killed in clash
The enemy narrative is clear, the template is filled in the same way in story after story, event after event.By NOOR KHAN, Associated Press Writer Only Muslims now write for the AP? KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S.-led airstrikes targeting Taliban militants who had attacked NATO forces slammed into civilian homes in southern Afghanistan, killing or wounding at least 30 people including women and children, a local official said Saturday. Villagers reported casualty tolls close to 100, but government officials could not confirm that number. The U.S. acknowledged some civilians were killed during the fighting in Helmand province's Gereshk district late Friday after fighters sought shelter in village homes, a familiar scenario in Afghanistan that has led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent bystanders this year. The battle began when Taliban fighters tried to ambush a joint U.S.-Afghan military convoy late Friday before fleeing into the nearby village of Hyderabad for cover, said Mohammad Hussein, Helmand's provincial police chief. Airstrikes targeted the militants in the village, said Dur Ali Shah, the mayor of Gereshk. He said 30 to 35 people were killed or wounded but he could not provide an exact breakdown. Six houses were destroyed during the clash, Shah said. "Right now, we do not know the number of Taliban casualties," Shah said. The U.S.-led coalition said the airstrikes were in response to machine gun, mortar and rocker propelled grenade attacks on a joint Afghan-coalition patrol. "It appears that ANA (Afghan National Army) and coalition forces fired at clearly identified firing positions," said Maj. Chris Belcher, a coalition spokesman. "Remains of some people who apparently were civilians were found among insurgent fighters who were killed in firing positions in a trench line." Belchjer accused militants of hiding among civilians. "We are deeply saddened by any loss of innocent lives," said Belcher. Mohammad Khan, a resident of Hyderabad, said seven members of his family, including his brother and five of his brother's children, were killed by airstrikes. "I brought three of my wounded relatives to Gereshk hospital for treatment," he said by phone. The villagers on Saturday were burying a "lot of dead bodies," Khan said. Civilians deaths caused by U.S. and NATO-led troops have infuriated Afghans and prompted President Hamid Karzai to publicly condemn the forces for carelessness and viewing Afghan lives as "cheap." He has urged restraint and better coordination of military operations with the government, while also blaming the Taliban for using civilians as human shields. A United Nations tally shows that of 673 civilian deaths this year, 314 were caused by international or Afghan security forces, and 279 by insurgents. A similar Associated Press count, though lower, shows the same trend: 213 killed by the U.S. or NATO and 180 by the Taliban. Overall, the AP counts more than 2,800 people killed this year. The tally, based on Western and Afghan official data, puts the violence far ahead of last year, when about 4,000 died. In other violence: Five "innocent civilians" including women and children were killed and eight wounded by rocket attacks in Kunar province, said Gov. Shalezai Dedar. He did not say who was suspected in the attack. Posted by: Glenmore 2007-06-30 |
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