Residents say foreign forces killed 3 civilians
07 November, 2012
LASHKARGAH/ASADABAD: The residents said the foreign forces killed three civilians during a night time operation in Babaji area of Lashkargah city. However, Afghan officials say they were armed rivals.
A resident of Babaji area told the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) the foreign forces conducted raid on a house last night, killing three civilians.
"The foreign forces entered a house and hurled hand-grenades at three people who were cleaning maize. All the three were killed," he alleged.
The area residents took the bodies to the Governor's House as a protest. They were of the view that the deceased were not involved in anti-government activities, and that no weapon had been recovered from their possession.
Meanwhile, deputy chairman of cooperation centre of Afghan and foreign forces at Helmand, Muhammad Ismail Hotak told the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) those killed in the Babaji area were not civilians. He said they were armed opponents.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) press office in Kabul, when contacted by the AIP, said: " ISAF currently does not have any operational reporting to support the claim that any civilian casualties occurred as a result of any ISAF operations in Lashkar Gah last night."
Meanwhile, a soldier of Afghan National Army (ANA) was killed and another wounded in two separate roadside bomb attacks in eastern Kunar province, governor's spokesman said Tuesday (Nov. 06).
An ANA vehicle struck a landmine in Patan area of Noorgul district at approximately 8:00 a.m. (local time), injuring a soldier, Wasifullah Wasifi, spokesman for Kunar province, told Afghan Islamic Press (AIP).
In another development, he said, an ANA soldier was killed after a landmine exploded near an ANA vehicle in Gato Qala area of Sokai district yesterday's afternoon.
He said the ANA vehicles were destroyed in both the incidents.
Taliban claimed responsibility for the landmine attacks as their spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AIP that four ANA soldiers were killed in the roadside bomb attack in Sokai while six were killed in the Noorgul explosion.
End.
|
