US Airstrike Kills 15 Civilians in Western Afghanistan
Afghan rights group says incident a 'clear violation'
Jason Ditz
A US airstrike against the a Taliban splinter group, which killed Mullah Raaz Mohammed Nangyalai, also killed 15 civilians, according to the Independent Human Rights Commission (IHRC) of Afghanistan.
The IHRC went on to say this was a “clear violation of human rights” and issued a report calling on foreign forces to be more careful that civilians aren’t harmed in their military operations.
The US had already admitted to being involved in this attack, but refused to address the dead civilians, saying questions about them should be directed to the Afghan Defense Ministry. They had previously said they were looking into the matter.
Afghan officials had warned, however, that the killing of the Mullah risked weakening government support from locals in the area of the strike, as he was a comparatively popular religious figure.
The IHRC went on to say this was a “clear violation of human rights” and issued a report calling on foreign forces to be more careful that civilians aren’t harmed in their military operations.
The US had already admitted to being involved in this attack, but refused to address the dead civilians, saying questions about them should be directed to the Afghan Defense Ministry. They had previously said they were looking into the matter.
Afghan officials had warned, however, that the killing of the Mullah risked weakening government support from locals in the area of the strike, as he was a comparatively popular religious figure.
posted by Satish Sharma at
11:06
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