U.S. investigates after Afghanistan air strike kills 40
Ethan Baron, Canwest News Service Published: Wednesday, November 05, 2008
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Dozens of Afghan civilians were killed when a wedding party was bombed in a mountain village, according to witnesses who blamed the American military for the attack.
The U.S. has dispatched investigators to Wach Baghtu, about 60 kilometres north of the coalition base at Kandahar Airfield where Canadian troops are based.
"The coalition and Afghan authorities are investigating reports of non-combatant casualties in the village," said U.S. military spokesman Cmdr. Jeff Bender. "Facts are unclear at this point. If innocent people were killed in this operation, we apologize and express our condolences to the families and the people of Afghanistan." (gee thanks, i'm sure the families of the victims feel so much better now)
No Canadian troops were involved in the incident, which reportedly occurred Monday, said Canadian Forces spokesman Maj. Jay Janzen.
"We just don't ever go up that far," he said.
About twice a month, Canadian troops travel to the district centre of Shahwali Kot, about 20 kilometres south of Wach Baghtu village, Janzen said.
Wedding guests were seated in a mud-walled home after lunch when a bomb hit as U.S. troops from a convoy were battling Taliban who were on a nearby mountain, said Abdul Jalil, who said he was the bride's uncle and owner of the home.
"Thirty-seven of my family members and relatives have been killed and several other people have been wounded," Jalil said.
Coalition forces did not confirm any casualties or provide a number. Civilian body counts have become the subject of much dispute in this war, and initial reports may be unreliable.
Kandahar Gov. Rahmatullah Raoufi said an American plane launched a strike on the mountain and hit the village as well, causing "heavy casualties."
The bride was taken to hospital in Kandahar. The groom was reportedly praying in the mosque during the attack and was unharmed.
"In the bombing, mostly women and children were killed," said villager Hyat Ullah. "Some lost their head. Some lost their hand. They were in very bad condition."
The home suffered multiple blasts, said a villager named Rahmatullah, who said he was the bride's brother-in-law.
"Around 2 o'clock, or 2:20, warplanes came and there was an air strike and ... shelling," said Rahmatullah, who like many Afghans goes by one name.
This latest reported attack, after a series of incidents which have killed innocent Afghans, drew anger from villagers.
"Now you can see how the Americans are coming and bombing women, children, everyone ... all innocent people," said Mohamed Asim. "I want to ask the Americans, did you come to stabilize and bring peace to our country, or have you come to destabilize and destroy our country?"
In July, a U.S. warplane launched an errant missile, killing 47 Afghan wedding celebrants, including 39 women and children, in northeastern Afghanistan, an Afghan government investigation concluded.
In August, a U.S. bombing run in western Afghanistan killed men, women and children estimated by the UN and Afghan authorities to number about 90. The U.S. initially said only five non-combatants died, but the Pentagon later concluded the attack killed 33.
Human Rights Watch reported in September that at least 321 Afghan civilians died in 2007 in U.S. or NATO airstrikes, nearly triple the number from the year before, with another 119 or more killed in air strikes in the first seven months of this year.
The organization reported that insurgent attacks, including those by Taliban and al-Qaeda, killed 950 civilians in 2007, while Taliban killed at least 699 in 2006. Insurgents killed 367 or more civilians in the first seven months of this year, according to the rights group.
Raoufi said this week's air strike on Wach Baghtu occurred as the Americans reacted to insurgent fire while travelling through the village in a convoy.
"The forces responded back to the enemy's firing in a defensive manner," Raoufi said. "Unfortunately, meanwhile, there was a wedding party going on in a village which is located at the bottom of the mountain where enemies were positioned. The incident didn't occur deliberately, it occurred because of a misunderstanding."