Apr 06 2010
NATO Denies Coverup of Fatal Night-time Raid in Afghanistan
A nighttime raid by US special forces in southeastern Afghanistan this February resulted in the deaths of several civilians, including a district prosecutor, a local police chief, and three women. While the US admitted to killing the men, it denied involvement in the killings of the women, two of whom were mothers, and also pregnant at the time. Some news outlets like CNN quoted military officials soon after the raid saying that the women’s deaths were the result of “honor killings” by the Taliban. But Afghan investigators found evidence that bullets had been removed from the women’s bodies and nearby walls. The actions of special operations forces and their attempt to hide the killings has now been confirmed this past Sunday night by the US-led military command. A NATO spokesman said “We deeply regret the outcome of this operation, accept responsibility for our actions that night, and know that this loss will be felt forever by the families.” The incident comes at a difficult time for the US in its war effort, as Afghan president Hamid Karzai has lashed out publicly in recent days against what he says is foreign interference in Afghanistan’s affairs over rampant fraud in last year’s Presidential election. Even more embarrassing for the US, at a meeting with top parliamentarians this past Saturday, Karzai promised to hold back a planned NATO offensive this June to retake the city of Kandahar from the Taliban, until he had permission from the MPs. He is also reported to have told the lawmakers that unless he had their support in wresting back control of Afghanistan’s election commission from the UN, he would consider switching his allegiance to the Taliban.
GUEST: Gareth Porter, investigative journalist and historian specializing in US national security policy, writer for the Inter Press Service.
Read Gareth Porter’s Articles here:
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One Response to “NATO Denies Coverup of Fatal Night-time Raid in Afghanistan”
Would the “investigators” by any possibility be part of the legendary Afghan “police” forces that have set-up or outright murdered U.S. and British troops on multiple occasions in the past 18 months or so?