Monday, March 9, 2009

Death toll climbs

More dead civilians, more protests:
Afghans protest after overnight raid kills four

KABUL, Mar 7 (AP) — Afghans are demonstrating in front of a line of U.S. military vehicles in eastern Afghanistan to protest what officials say are the deaths of four Afghans during an overnight U.S. raid.

Khost Province Deputy Gov. Tahir Khan Sabari says the raid killed four people and wounded two. Protesters also said several Afghans were arrested.

Sabari says the raid took place without the participation of Afghan forces despite a recent agreement saying Afghans would take part in raids to prevent civilian casualties and help with cultural issues.

Hundreds of protesters shouted "Death to America" and threw rocks in the eastern city of Khost. AP Television News footage showed Afghan men blocking the path of U.S. military vehicles. (link)
Xinhua notes that the demonstration was attended by hundreds of people and that the protestors brought the bodies of the dead into the streets.

On March 8, two Afghan police in Kapisa were shot and killed by a joint Afghan/coalition patrol after the police had first fired at the patrol.

Finally, one child is killed in Helmand:
One child killed, another wounded in mortar fire in Afghanistan

KABUL, Mar 8 (RIA Novosti) - One child was killed and another wounded as NATO-led coalition forces opened mortar fire, battling Taliban militants in the Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, the alliance said on Sunday.

The incident occurred on Sunday when a patrol of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was ambushed by Taliban militants in Naad Ali district. The coalition forces had to open retaliation fire, the alliance said... (link)
March's toll:

March 1: NATO troops kill a civilian in Nangarhar province in a vehicle accident.
March 7: In an early morning raid, US soldiers entered two houses and killed four civilians, according to locals in Khost province.
March 8: NATO troops killed a child in a clash with insurgents in Helmand.
March 8: Coalition and Afghan troops kill two Afghan police in a friendly fire incident in Kapisa.

1 comment:

usmcwarrior said...

Get a life. If you think we're going to get out of this unscathed; you're a naive moron. These people are fighting us not because we are there, but because we live. Now if you feel we are that bad; get on a plane and turn yourself in to them for removal from this earth. War IS A FACT OF LIFE; NOT AN ABERATION. There are those who would have us dead for any number of reasons and none of them are justifiable to the reasonable man. The reasonable man's response is to defend himself and the best defense is an offense - especially by creating the battle space away from those he loves; his family and his country. If you can't get that, you need to leave your safe, comfortable, protected environment and travel to these other parts of the world you seem to think are safer and more humane.