...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
were members of one family, according to locals who talked to TOLOnews on Tuesday.
The UN mission in Afghanistan also said that based on its "initial" and "impartial" findings, the Afghan National Army mortars inflicted heavy civilian casualties Monday at a market in Sangin and that "multiple credible sources assert that the army fired lethal mortars in response to Taliban
...Arabic for students...
fire, missing intended target."
Eight members of the family were laid to rest on Monday, while another member, who sustained injuries in the attack, succumbed to his wounds and was laid to rest on Tuesday, according to TOLOnews’ Abdullah Achakzai who visited the incident scene on Tuesday.
Abdullah said the signs of the attack were still visible in the area, along with the belonging of the victims left at the scene following the incident.
"This is the eight martyred from our family," said Sayed Mohammad, a relative of the victims, referring to their remains.
"Why are they oppressing us? if you want to fire, go and fire it at another place. No firing occurred from our area, on the day of the incident, no bullet was fired from our area," said Mohammad Naseer, a relative of the victims.
Most parts of Sangin district, particularly the place where the shells hit, are under Taliban control, according to locals.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission also said that the area is under Taliban control and that 27 people were killed and 35 others were maimed in the incident.
Some eyewitnesses also said the mortars were fired by Afghan army, calling for a thorough investigation into the incident.
"This is not the first, second or third time-- we face this situation all the time, we don’t have any other option except to act on our own," said Allah Dad, an eyewitness.
"Nothing has been fired from our area," said Attaullah, another eyewitness.
Helmand officials said a delegation has been assigned to find the perpetrators behind the incident.
"A probe team has been tasked to find out whether this incident was carried out by the Taliban or if it was carried out by the division (Afghan army division), the incident will be investigated seriously," said Mujahidullah Safari, the deputy governor of Helmand.
The incident happened on Monday morning when the locals were busy attending a local festival in a market in Sangin district — a district that has witnessed heavy festivities between government forces and the Taliban over the last 18 years.
Watchdog: ANA Counterattack Resulted in Civilian Deaths in Sangin
[ToloNews] The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) on Tuesday said its findings indicate that the Afghan cops, while responding to an attack by the Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...in Sangin district of Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
, caused massive civilian casualties by firing artillery that hit a marketplace.
The commission said that at least 27 civilians--including children--were killed and 35 more were maimed after the security forces launched a counter-attack on the Taliban Death Eaters in Sangin.
"The incident happened as a result of the counter-attack by the Afghan military forces, the Afghan government needs to initiate a transparent investigation into the attack," said Naeem Nazari, the deputy head of the AIHRC.
Meanwhile,
...back at the Senate, Odius Sepulcher called for war against the Visigoths...
General Wali Ahmad Ahmadzai, the commander of 215 Maiwand Army Corps, has said that the army is ready to investigate the incident in Sangin in a thorough way.
"An investigation team has been tasked and we welcome it, we are ready to provide any sort of clarification on this issue, we strongly reject civilian casualties," said Wali Ahmad Ahmadzai, the commander of 215 Maiwand Army Corps