NATO Troops Kill Civilians in Kandahar

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan- On Monday four civilians were killed and 18 others were wounded  when US troops fired on a bus in a Afghanistan, sparking protests and an expression of regret from the military alliance.

The bus was traveling from Kandahar to western Herat province, provincal officials said.  Later around 200 men took to the streets of Kandahar to demonstrate over the killings on a highway outside the Afghan city, burning tyres and shouting “death to America, death to Karzai, death to this government”.  Later, three Taliban militants wearing suicide vests and carrying guns tried to storm the office of Afghanistan’s premier spy agency in Kandahar, causing a shoot-out.

Speaking by telephone, the bus driver, who gave his name as Esmate, said he was about 70 to 100 meters from a military convoy when the shooting started.  “They opened fire at us and I fell unconscious.  The people who were killed were sitting in the seats just behind me,” he said.  Gul Mohammad, another witness, heard the firing and saw the bus skid on the road, alleging that the soldiers “opened fire for no reason”.

This incident reflects the chronic insecurity in the province, where US-led military forces are preparing a major push to dislodge the Taliban from their spiritual base.

NATO expressed it’s regret over the incident and said forces treated the injured at the scene.   Civilian deaths as a result of NATO has been the cause of increasing friction between NATO and the Afghan government.  NATO admitted its forces were responsible for the deaths of three women during a botched night-time raid in eastern Afghanistan in February.

NATO is continuing to investigate the incident.  Patrols warned off the approaching vehicle with a flashlight and flares.  “Perceiving  a threat when the vehicle approached once more at an increased rate of speed, the patrol attempted to warn off the vehicle with hand signals prior to firing upon it,” the statement says.

Currently Afghan and NATO forces are engaged in an anti-Taliban operation to rid parts of southern Helmand province of militants. Officials have stated that the offensive will switch focus to Kandahar in the next few months.

For more information, please see:

BBC News- Nato Firing Kills Afghan Civilians In Kandahar – 12 April 2010

AFP- Afghan Fury After US Troops Kill Four Civilians– 12 April 2010

VOANews.com- NATO Troops Kill 4 Civilians On Bus in Southern Afghanistan– 12 April 2010

Author: Impunity Watch Archive