QUOTE
Karzai orders probe after US raids kill 16
Web posted at: 7/6/2008 2:12:56
Source ::: AFP
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/
KABUL • Afghan President Hamid Karzai ordered authorities yesterday to investigate the alleged killing of 16 civilians in an air raid by US-led forces battling insurgents in northeast Afghanistan.
Karzai was "deeply saddened" by Friday's incident in the mountainous province of Nuristan and told the defence and interior ministries and local authorities to investigate, his office said in a statement.
Provincial governor Tamim Nuristani said 16 civilians were killed as they were travelling out of the area after being warned by security forces to leave ahead of an operation against Islamist insurgents.
The interior ministry said 14 civilians were killed.
But the US-led coalition has insisted the dead were all militants who had been targeted after they had attacked a base of the separate Nato-led military force helping the government to defeat a Taliban-led insurgency.
Karzai's statement reiterated his call on international troops operating in Afghanistan to coordinate their operations with Afghan security forces to avoid civilian deaths.
An Afghan provincial governor confirmed yesterday that 16 civilians including women, children and doctors were killed in Friday’s US-led coalition air strikes but the force insisted the dead were militants.
In other violence, gunmen killed a legislator while 10 militants were blown up by their own bomb in troubled southern Afghanistan, authorities said.
Provincial governor Tamim Nuristani said 16 civilians were killed as they were travelling out of the area after being told by security forces to leave ahead of an operation against Islamic insurgents.
"They included two women, two children and workers and shopkeepers travelling in two pick-up vehicles," Nuristani said. Two doctors and a female nurse were also dead, he said.
But the coalition said on Friday and again yesterday the dead were militants who were escaping after attacking an Nato-led military base in the rugged area.
"The insurgents then entered two vehicles and began travelling away from the firing position. Ground forces called coalition attack helicopters for support," it said in a statement.
"The attack helicopters then destroyed the two vehicles, killing more than a dozen militants."
It said it was aware through the media of allegations of civilian casualties and was "engaging with Afghan officials on this matter."
<snip>
Hundreds of civilians have been killed in international military action against insurgents, most of them in air strikes on remote areas even though the forces employ several measures to confirm the identities of their targets.
The United Nations said last month that nearly 700 Afghan civilians had lost their lives in insurgency-linked violence this year, nearly two-thirds in militant attacks and about 255 in military operations.
Web posted at: 7/6/2008 2:12:56
Source ::: AFP
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/
KABUL • Afghan President Hamid Karzai ordered authorities yesterday to investigate the alleged killing of 16 civilians in an air raid by US-led forces battling insurgents in northeast Afghanistan.
Karzai was "deeply saddened" by Friday's incident in the mountainous province of Nuristan and told the defence and interior ministries and local authorities to investigate, his office said in a statement.
Provincial governor Tamim Nuristani said 16 civilians were killed as they were travelling out of the area after being warned by security forces to leave ahead of an operation against Islamist insurgents.
The interior ministry said 14 civilians were killed.
But the US-led coalition has insisted the dead were all militants who had been targeted after they had attacked a base of the separate Nato-led military force helping the government to defeat a Taliban-led insurgency.
Karzai's statement reiterated his call on international troops operating in Afghanistan to coordinate their operations with Afghan security forces to avoid civilian deaths.
An Afghan provincial governor confirmed yesterday that 16 civilians including women, children and doctors were killed in Friday’s US-led coalition air strikes but the force insisted the dead were militants.
In other violence, gunmen killed a legislator while 10 militants were blown up by their own bomb in troubled southern Afghanistan, authorities said.
Provincial governor Tamim Nuristani said 16 civilians were killed as they were travelling out of the area after being told by security forces to leave ahead of an operation against Islamic insurgents.
"They included two women, two children and workers and shopkeepers travelling in two pick-up vehicles," Nuristani said. Two doctors and a female nurse were also dead, he said.
But the coalition said on Friday and again yesterday the dead were militants who were escaping after attacking an Nato-led military base in the rugged area.
"The insurgents then entered two vehicles and began travelling away from the firing position. Ground forces called coalition attack helicopters for support," it said in a statement.
"The attack helicopters then destroyed the two vehicles, killing more than a dozen militants."
It said it was aware through the media of allegations of civilian casualties and was "engaging with Afghan officials on this matter."
<snip>
Hundreds of civilians have been killed in international military action against insurgents, most of them in air strikes on remote areas even though the forces employ several measures to confirm the identities of their targets.
The United Nations said last month that nearly 700 Afghan civilians had lost their lives in insurgency-linked violence this year, nearly two-thirds in militant attacks and about 255 in military operations.