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03Nov16

Killing civilians in airstrikes triggers protest in northern Afghan Kunduz city

The alleged murdering of 15 civilians including women and children by Afghan and U.S.-led Resolute Support (RS) forces in the northern Kunduz province on Thursday has triggered strong protest as the victims' families took the dead bodies to provincial capital Kunduz city.

In the airstrikes which conducted early Thursday in Buzi Kandahari village, outside provincial capital the Kundiz city, 250 km north of Kabul, according to locals, at least 15 civilians including women and children were killed.

"Afghan and foreign forces war planes targeted Buzi Kandahari village Thursday and resultantly at least 15 innocent civilians including women and children were killed," a village elder Hajji Ahmad Jan told Xinhua.

He also added that the villagers took the dead bodies to the provincial governor office as a sign of protest but police blocked their way.

Meantime, another villager who declined to be identified claimed that 20 civilians including women and children had been killed and some 20 others are missing.

However, Kunduz police in a statement released hours after the bloody incident rejected the loss of civilians in the raid and insisted all the victims were Taliban insurgents.

Harming civilians in the war against militants on Thursday triggered strong protest among the people as more than 200 of people have attempted to take the dead bodies to Provincial Governor House, but police blocked the way and dispersed the protesters.

Meanwhile, the protesters chanting slogans, "Death to America," "Death to president Ghani and death to chief executive Abdullah," "We want the government to probe the case and bring to justice all those involved in the incident."

The NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) mission in a statement put on its twitter account said, "Air Strikes were conducted in Kunduz to defend friendly forces under fire. All civilians casualty claims will be investigated.

[Source: Xinhua, Kunduz, 03Nov16]
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