World Wires

8 civilians killed in NATO airstrike in Afghanistan

 

McClatchy Newspapers

Afghan and U.S.-led coalition officials are investigating reports that eight civilians – including six children – were killed when their home in the eastern province of Paktia was bombed on Saturday by a coalition aircraft.

There were no survivors in the attack, which took place around 8 p.m. in Gerda Serai district, completely destroying the house of a local man, said Rohullah Samoon, a spokesman for Paktia’s governor.

“The head of the family, Mohammad Shafi, his wife and six children were all martyred (killed),” said Samoon.

“Mohammad Shafi is not on the black list of our security forces,” Samoon added. “That means he was neither Al Qaida nor Taliban.”

He said that Afghan security forces in the area had not been contacted before the strike by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the formal name for the U.S.-led coalition.

“Our concern is that ISAF troops don’t share these issues with the Afghan security forces,” Samoon told McClatchy. “If they had shared this with us, this (tragedy) wouldn’t have happened.”

ISAF spokesperson Lieutenant Lauren Rago said initial coalition reports indicated ISAF troops in southern Paktia were attacked by a large group of insurgents and had responded by returning fire and calling for air support.

“More information may be released as appropriate,” said Rago.

A statement from President Hamid Karzai’s office said he had dispatched a delegation to investigate the reported bombing.

Coalition air strikes that result in civilian casualties have long been a source of intense anger among Afghans, including Karzai, who has repeatedly criticized such incidents. The coalition has in recent years introduced strict rules for air strikes designed to reduce the number of killed or injured civilians.

In other violence, two civilians were killed and one wounded Sunday in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack at Marjah district in the restive southern province of Helmand, said a statement from the Helmand governor’s office.

The statement said security forces had arrested a suspect from Waziristan, a lawless tribal area in Pakistan that borders Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, ISAF confirmed Sunday that four of its service members had been killed on Saturday in four separate IED attacks in southern Afghanistan.

ISAF refused to release details about the location and nationality of those killed. However, Britain’s ministry of defense confirmed that one of its soldiers had been killed on Saturday when his vehicle was hit by an IED in Helmand province.

Special correspondent Ali Safi contributed reporting from Kabul.

Read more World Wires stories from the Miami Herald

  • Report: Iran hangs 2 men convicted of spying

    Iran's state radio says authorities have executed two men convicted of spying for Israel's Mossad and the American CIA spy agency.

  •  

FILE - In this March 17, 2013 file photo, China's newly-named Premier Li Keqiang speaks during a press conference after the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress held in Beijing's Great Hall of the People.  Just weeks after a tense border standoff, China's new premier is heading to India on his first foreign trip as the neighboring giants look to expedite efforts to settle a decades-old boundary dispute and boost economic ties. China says Li's choice of India for his first trip abroad since taking office in March shows the importance Beijing attaches to improving relations with New Delhi.

    Chinese premier heads to India to boost ties

    Just weeks after a tense border standoff, China's new premier headed to India on Sunday for his first foreign trip as the neighboring giants look to speed up efforts to settle a decades-old boundary dispute and boost economic ties.

  •  

In this undated composite image released by Mexico City's prosecutor's office (PGJDF) on Monday, May 13, 2013, Manuel Alejandro Perez de Jesus, 24, left, and David Hernandez Cruz, 24, stand for their mug shot after being arrested in Mexico City.  Both men were arrested in connection with last week's death of Malcolm Shabazz, the grandson of political activist Malcolm X. An official of the city's prosecutor's office who was not authorized to be quoted by name says the two suspects are employees of the bar where Shabazz reportedly got into a violent dispute over a $1,200 bar tab. The 28-year-old Shabazz died of blunt-force trauma injuries.

    Mexico judge orders prison for suspects in killing

    A judge on Saturday issued an order for the imprisonment of two waiters accused in the beating death of Malcolm Shabazz, grandson of civil rights activist Malcolm X, the Mexico City attorney general's office said.

Miami Herald

Join the
Discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Hide Comments

This affects comments on all stories.

Cancel OK

  • Videos

  • Quick Job Search

Enter Keyword(s) Enter City Select a State Select a Category