PressTV – 2011-05-29 00:04:52
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/181934.html
US-led Strike Kills 112 in Afghanistan
PressTV
KABUL (May 28, 2011) — A senior Afghan official says at least 112 people have been killed in last Thursday’s US-led airstrike in the remote northeastern province of Nuristan. The governor of Nuristan, Jamaluddin Badr, told Pajhwok News Agency on Saturday that 20 civilians, 22 policemen, and 70 Taliban militants were among those killed in the aerial attack that took place in Doab town of the province.
Badr added that some 40 people were also wounded in the raid. NATO claims its forces mistakenly conducted the air raid and that it was actually meant to recapture Doab from Taliban forces. Militants had taken control of the town two days before the strike.
Hundreds of civilians have been killed in the US-led airstrikes and ground operations in various parts of Afghanistan over the past few months, with Afghans becoming increasingly outraged over the seemingly endless number of deadly assaults.
Civilian casualties have long been a source of friction between the Afghan government and US-led foreign forces. The loss of civilian lives at the hand of foreign forces has dramatically increased anti-American sentiments in Afghanistan.
The surge in violence comes despite the presence of nearly 150,000 foreign troops in the country that claim to be engaged in a so-called war on terror. The US-led war in Afghanistan, with civilian and military casualties at record highs, has become the longest war in the US history.
Karzai Bans Night Raids by US-led Forces
KABUL (May 28, 2011) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered the Defense Ministry to take control of night raids amid mounting civilian casualties by foreign forces in Afghanistan. Night raids are one of the most controversial tactics used by the US-led forces in the war-torn country.
“President Hamid Karzai ordered the Defense Ministry to prevent foreign troops from uncoordinated and arbitrary operations and bring night raids under its control,” a government statement said on Saturday. “The president stresses that special operations and night raids must be independently conducted by Afghan troops.” He stressed that special operations and night raids must be independently conducted by Afghan troops. Afghans say the raids often lead to civilian deaths.
The Afghan president has repeatedly criticized the US and NATO leaders for such attacks. Afghans say the US-led forces disregard local culture and have targeted hundreds of civilians in different parts of the war-torn country. The Afghan Interior Ministry has said that NATO forces were violating a security agreement with the Kabul government based on which all NATO operations in Kabul must be cleared with the government.
Hundreds of civilians have been killed in US-led airstrikes and ground operations in various parts of Afghanistan over the past few months with Afghans becoming more outraged over the seemingly endless number of deadly assaults.
Civilians have been the main victims of violence in Afghanistan, particularly in the country’s troubled southern and eastern provinces, where they are killed by both militants and foreign fire. Civilian casualties caused by NATO attacks have been a major source of tension between the Afghan president and the US-led alliance. Despite the presence of about 150,000 foreign troops, violence in Afghanistan last year reached its deadliest phase with record casualties on all sides, including civilian deaths.
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