PAN, May 28, 2011

112 killed in Nuristan airstrike: governor

Up to 40 people, including district's administrative head and police chief, were wounded

By Abdul Moeed Hashmi

PAN, May 26, 2011: NATO-led troops shot dead three civilians in central Maidan Wardak province, an Afghan official said on Thursday. Resident Ghulam Sakhi Rasuli said the men were working on their farms, and had no any link to any militant organisation.

As many as 112 people were killed in an airstrike by NATO-led troops in the remote eastern province of Nuristan, a senior official said on Saturday.

Twenty-two policemen, 20, civilians and 70 Taliban fighters were among the dead, Governor Jamaluddin Badr told Pajhwok Afghan News, quoting a probe into the incidents.

Foreign soldiers conducted the air raid on Thursday to drive insurgents from Doab district, he said, adding Afghan forces recaptured the town late on Thursday night.

Up to 40 people, including district's administrative head and police chief, were wounded, Badr added. Both officials were discharged from hospital after receiving treatment.

Despite efforts, the ministries of defence and interior could not be reached for comments on civilian and police casualties.

Interior ministry spokesman Zmaray Bashari said that since Doab was a remote district, where walkie-talkies did not work, they could not contact local officials for information on the incident.

He added a team had been dispatched to the district to collect information about the fatalities. NATO-led soldiers have confirmed the airstrike, but denied civilian casualties.

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