Amnesty International lists 83 Afghan civilians killed in NATO airstrike in Kunduz

The German government should immediately launch a credible, transparent investigation into a 4 September airstrike in Kunduz, Afghanistan, that killed scores of people, many of them civilians, Amnesty International said on Thursday.

PAN, Sep. 5, 2009: Residents of Chahar Dara district in northern Kunduz province say more than 150 civilians were killed and 20 others wounded in air strike by NATO-led forces. (Photo: AP)

The German military said on Thursday that NATO’s investigation suggested the airstrike, which targeted two fuel tanker trucks that had been hijacked by Taliban fighters five hours earlier, was appropriate even though it led to civilian casualties.

Amnesty international’s investigation into the Kunduz incident suggests that the laws of war may have been violated during the airstrike.

"An urgent and transparent investigation needs to be launched by the German government into what happened in Kunduz. NATO, and the German government, must show accountability for the loss of civilian life and prove that it has the will and mechanism in place to investigate civilian casualties," said Sam Zarifi, director of Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific programme.

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List of suspected civilian casualties in the NATO ordered airstrike on two fuel tankers in Kunduz, September 4, 2009

Village elders provided Amnesty International a list of 83 people killed in the incident who the elders identified as having no affiliation with the Taliban.