Tribal elders in Afghanistan's western Herat province have said dozens of civilians have been killed during aerial attacks by US forces.
PAN: 50 civilians were killed and many residential houses were destroyed on Wednesday night in coalition air strike in Shindand district of western Herat province. The young boy who wounded in the bombardment. (Photo: PAJHWOK/Ahmad Quraishi)
A NATO spokesman has said a number of insurgents were killed in the operation.
News of the fighting in Herat province came from tribal elders who reported dozens of casualties in the Zirko Valley in Shindan district.
They said a large number of civilians had been killed in aerial attacks from midnight until 10:00am (local time), adding that an important tribal elder had been killed.
There were also unconfirmed reports of demonstrations beginnning against Afghan security checkposts.
The local police chief said Haji Nazrullah Khan, a hugely influential tribal leader, and three other men have been targeted and killed and four civilians injured. -- BBC
Pajhwok Afghan News, July 17, 2008:
HERAT CITY: Local people claimed on Thursday the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have killed more than 50 civilians in an overnight air strike, targeting a civilian house in the western Herat province.
The NATO-led ISAF soldiers bombed Farmakan and Bakhtabad villages of Shindand district late Wednesday night, an influential and tribal elder Haji Zalmai said, rejecting presence of Taliban militants in the area. He recalled people were worried about aircrafts being in the area.
Shindand district chief Mullah Lal Muhammad also confirmed killing of civilians in overnight airstrikes and said they have no information about exact numbers of the casualties. A delegation has been sent to the area for a further investigation, he said.
However, not rejecting casualties of civilians Col. Abdul Rauf Ahmadi spokesman for the western zone police said according to their reports Haji Nasrullah and Arbab Daulat were killed along with their two children in the overnight bombing.
He claimed the killed persons were having illegal arms and helping the anti government movement of Taliban. But, Abdul Ghani, a resident of the area rejected his claims and said they were influential.
The NATO-led ISAF soldiers have not yet expressed any comment regarding the overnight bombing, but they have only confirmed killing of eight civilians killed in Tuesday night airstrikes in Bakwa district of the Farah province and they showed their sympathy with the family members of the victims.
According to the information of people the NATO-led ISAF soldiers have killed over 100 civilians in separate bombings in the eastern Nangarhar and Nuristan provinces but ISAF soldiers claim killing only Taliban guerrillas.