|
U.S.
Admits ‘Tragic Accident’ After Three Afghans Killed In Firefight
 |
|
Afghanistan is a human tragedy on all levels
|
BAGRAM
AIR BASE, June 1 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The U.S. military
admitted Saturday to a "tragic accident" after three Afghans
killed by American-led coalition forces were proved not to be Al-Qaeda
or Taliban fighters.
The
armed Afghans were mistaken for enemy forces during an operation on a
suspected enemy base in Khomar Kalay, a village near the eastern town
of Gardez, Friday, May 31, 2002, reported Agence France-Presse
(AFP).
"It
is a tragic accident," Colonel Roger King told reporters in
Afghanistan Saturday.
"They
had moved in that area without telling us. They said their commander
sent them to kill Al-Qaeda."
The
more than 100 U.S.-led troops acted in response to threatening
behavior by around 10 armed Afghans at the compound in Khomar Kalay, a
village near the eastern town of Gardez, King told reporters Friday.
"They
observed an armed group displaying hostile intent," said King.
"They
were armed with automatic weapons and at least one RPG
[rocket-propelled grenade] and moving in the direction of our
forces," he said.
King
said the U.S. and Afghan forces were observing the compound for some
time before the enemy forces moved towards their defensive positions.
"They
had the general impression that it was going to evolve into a
firefight," he said, prompting the U.S. forces to open fire
first.
A
spokesman for the U.S. Central Command in Washington said the incident
was under review.
“Civilian
casualties” and “fire accidents” have come to be associated with
the American war against Afghanistan since its launch early October,
2001. On Friday, May 16, 2002, a U.S. warplane bombed a village in the
eastern Afghan province of Khost, killing at least 10 people and
wounding many others at a wedding ceremony.
The
bombing, which occurred overnight in Bal Khel village in Sabari
district, 30 kilometers northeast of Khost, targeted a wedding that
was in progress in the village, according to AFP.
During
the wedding, people fired into the air in traditional celebration and
U.S. helicopters flying over the area could have allegedly mistaken it
for hostile fire.
A
U.S. aircraft later bombed the area for several hours, AFP added.
The
terrified residents had been confined to their homes by fear and had
not been able, according to AFP, to remove dead bodies and evacuate
the injured to hospitals for some time after the attack. 
|
