Relatives of slain Afghan civilians wail next to their dead bodies in Ghazni, Afghanistan, Friday, Oct. 16, 2009. Four Afghan civilians, two men and two women from one family were killed during an operation of coalition forces near Ghazni city, Gen. Khail Buz Sherzai, Ghazni provincial police chief said. (Photo: AP)
Hundreds of people on Sunday staged a protest against Afghan security forces, foreign troops and the mayor of western Herat province, an official said.
Shindand district residents and doctors’ union members took part in the protest, chanting slogans against local security forces and foreign troops.
The protestors accused combined forces of killing innocent civilians during an operation some days back.
Tor Mohammad Zarifi, who represents Shindand in the provincial council, said Afghan and foreign troops had killed three civilians on Thursday.
He told Pajhwok Afghan News the dead included a child, a student of Kabul Medical University and another civilian. He demanded the government to put the killers on trial.
He warned of boycotting the April presidential and provincial elections and closing all polling stations in the district if their demand was not met.
Meanwhile, members of the doctors’ union protested against the Herat mayor, alleging that his guards had abducted a male nurse.
Dr. Nisar Ahmad Musadiq, head of the union, said the mayor’s sons and guards had beaten the male nurse before setting him free. He asked the government to sack the mayor.