Kabul - An Afghan governor said on Monday that more than 20
militants were killed in a US-led operation in eastern Afghanistan,
however, a regional lawmaker said that the dead were all civilians,
including women and children.
Meanwhile, a Taliban spokesman claimed their fighters had shot
down five US military helicopters during the same operation, a claim
that the US military spokesperson rejected.
Tamim Nuristani, governor of north-eastern province of Nuristan
told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that the operation, which took place
in Doaba district of the province on Sunday morning, left more than
20 insurgents killed and scores of them wounded.
The operation, dubbed 'Qaher Commando' or 'Domandos' anger,' was
conducted by Afghan and US-led coalition forces, the Afghan defence
ministry said in a statement on Monday, adding that three Afghan army
soldiers were killed and three others were wounded during the
operation.
The statement said that seven militants were arrested in the
operation and several others were killed and wounded.
The US military also said on Sunday that their forces killed a
'significant' number of insurgents after the rebels attacked a joint
Afghan and coalition forces unit during a search operation in the
area.
However, Ramatullah Rashed, head of the provincial council told
dpa that at least 23 civilians were killed and up to 50 others were
injured.
Rashid said that a part of Shorak village, where the operation
took place, was completely destroyed in the US military bombardments.
The Afghan army rejected inflicting any civilian casualties in the
operation and said that the ministry has set up a commission to
conduct an investigation in the area.
Meanwhile Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, told dpa by
phone from an undisclosed location that their 'mujahideens' shot
downed five US helicopters in Dawaba district
'The helicopters were shot down while they were patrolling in the
area,' Mujahid said, adding 'suddenly Mujahideen fired anti aircraft
rockets, and downed the helicopters.'
He said that the attack came after the US forces bombarded the
area and killed 'a number of civilians including women and children.'
But, Captain Kymberley Jurado, a US military spokesperson in
Bagram, the main US base in Afghanistan rejected the Taliban's claim
and said that 'no helicopter was shot down during the operation in
Nuristan.'
Civilian deaths during the international operations have become a
sensitive issue for the Western-backed Afghan government. President
Hamid Karzai has repeatedly pleaded with foreign forces in the
country to avoid causing civilian deaths during their operations.
Karzai believes that civilian losses will erode the public support
for his government.
More than 8, 000 people - mostly insurgents but including a
quarter of them civilians - were killed in the Taliban-led militancy
last year.
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