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US orders new review into Afghan civilian deaths
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-08 09:03 Afghan President Hamid Karzai has warned the US and NATO for years that they must stop killing civilians on bombing runs, saying the deaths undermine his government and the international mission. But the Azizabad incident could finally push Karzai to take real action. Shortly after the incident he ordered a review of whether the US and NATO should be allowed to use airstrikes or carry out raids in villages. He also called for an updated "status of force" agreement between the Afghan government and foreign militaries. That review has not yet been completed. Nek Mohammad Ishaq, a provincial council member in Herat and a member of the Afghan investigating commission, has said that Afghanistan's intelligence service has photographs and videos of the victims. Ahmad Nader Nadery, spokesman for Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, has said that a villager named Reza, whose compound bore the brunt of the attack, had a private security company that worked for the US military at nearby Shindand airport. Villagers and officials have said the operation was based on faulty information provided by a rival of Reza. Aziz Ahmad Nadem, a member of parliament from Herat, has told the AP that the rival is now being protected by the US military. Afghan officials say US special forces and Afghan commandos raided the village while hundreds of people were gathered in a large compound for a memorial service honoring a tribal leader, Timor Shah, who was killed eight months ago by a rival, Nader Tawakal. Reza, who was killed in the August 22 operation, is Shah's brother. The US investigative report released last Tuesday said American and Afghan forces took fire from militants while approaching Azizabad that "justified use of well-aimed small-arms fire and close air support to defend the combined force." The US report said that investigators discovered evidence that the militants planned to attack a nearby coalition base. Evidence collected included weapons, explosives, intelligence materials and an access badge to the base, as well as photographs from inside and outside the base, the report said. It said that the investigating officer watched video of the engagement and looked at topographic photo comparisons of the area before and after, including burial sites. |
