6 hurt as Afghans protest deadly raid
Güncelleme Tarihi:
The Associated Press
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 08, 2009 00:00
KABUL - Angry Afghans stage a protest against US, accusing its troops of suspected civilian deaths of up to 120 civilians in an air raid in western Farah province. Police respond to stone-throwing protesters with fire and the melee leaves at least six wounded as US army blames Taliban for the attack
Police fired on rock-throwing protesters yesterday who were angry about civilian deaths they blame on American bombing runs in western Afghanistan, a local official said, as U.S. military and Afghan investigators examined the site.
In the melee outside the governor's office in the capital of Farah province, one protester was wounded by a bullet and five more suffered other injuries after they tried to storm the main government building there, said a health department official in the province.
The group was protesting the deaths of civilians in the villages of Ganjabad and Gerani, said Belqis Roshan, a provincial council member. The international Red Cross and local officials said the people were killed by U.S. bombs, though the military said that may not have been the case.
Mohammad Nieem Qadderdan, a former district chief of Bala Buluk who visited the site of Monday's battle, said 100 to 120 people were killed. If 100 civilians died in the fight, it would be deadliest case of civilian casualties since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. The Red Cross said women and children were among dozens of dead.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the U.S. "deeply, deeply" regretted the loss of innocent life while opening a meeting with the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan at the State Department.
Undermining support
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has long pleaded with the U.S. to minimize civilian deaths during its operations, contending that such killings undermine support for the fight against the Taliban. Karzai quickly ordered an investigation into this week's violence.
Meanwhile in Farah, the team of investigators headed by a U.S. brigadier general was on the ground yesterday, said Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a U.S. military spokeswoman. Afghan military and police officials were also part of the team.
Gen. David McKiernan, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, voiced doubts about whether the deaths were due to an American airstrike. McKiernan said U.S. military personnel had come to help Afghan forces that may have been ambushed by Taliban militants Sunday. He said the Taliban beheaded three civilians, perhaps to lure police.
"We have some other information that leads us to distinctly different conclusions about the cause of the civilian casualties," McKiernan said. Another senior U.S. official said that Marine special operations forces believe the Afghan civilians were killed by grenades hurled by Taliban militants.
In the melee outside the governor's office in the capital of Farah province, one protester was wounded by a bullet and five more suffered other injuries after they tried to storm the main government building there, said a health department official in the province.
The group was protesting the deaths of civilians in the villages of Ganjabad and Gerani, said Belqis Roshan, a provincial council member. The international Red Cross and local officials said the people were killed by U.S. bombs, though the military said that may not have been the case.
Mohammad Nieem Qadderdan, a former district chief of Bala Buluk who visited the site of Monday's battle, said 100 to 120 people were killed. If 100 civilians died in the fight, it would be deadliest case of civilian casualties since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. The Red Cross said women and children were among dozens of dead.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the U.S. "deeply, deeply" regretted the loss of innocent life while opening a meeting with the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan at the State Department.
Undermining support
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has long pleaded with the U.S. to minimize civilian deaths during its operations, contending that such killings undermine support for the fight against the Taliban. Karzai quickly ordered an investigation into this week's violence.
Meanwhile in Farah, the team of investigators headed by a U.S. brigadier general was on the ground yesterday, said Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a U.S. military spokeswoman. Afghan military and police officials were also part of the team.
Gen. David McKiernan, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, voiced doubts about whether the deaths were due to an American airstrike. McKiernan said U.S. military personnel had come to help Afghan forces that may have been ambushed by Taliban militants Sunday. He said the Taliban beheaded three civilians, perhaps to lure police.
"We have some other information that leads us to distinctly different conclusions about the cause of the civilian casualties," McKiernan said. Another senior U.S. official said that Marine special operations forces believe the Afghan civilians were killed by grenades hurled by Taliban militants.