Afghan forces mistakenly kill 9, mostly civilians: officials

Published May 29, 2018
Men carry the coffin of a relative who died during a raid by Afghan forces on a house in Chaparhar district of Nangarhar province. ─ AP
Men carry the coffin of a relative who died during a raid by Afghan forces on a house in Chaparhar district of Nangarhar province. ─ AP

Afghan forces mistakenly killed nine people, most of them civilians, during raid on a house in eastern Nangarhar province which has been a base for the militant Islamic State (IS) group and other militants, officials said Tuesday.

The raid, which took place late on Monday night in Chaparhar district, also wounded eight other civilians, said provincial governor Hayatullah Hayat. A local police commander was among the dead, he added.

According to the governor, gunfire had been coming from the house that was raided but the casualties were identified as mostly civilians once the operation ended. An investigation was underway to determine how the operation resulted in civilian casualties.

Inamullah Miakhail, a spokesman for the hospital in Nangarhar, also confirmed that nine bodies were brought to the hospital from the raid.

Both Taliban and IS are active in eastern Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, in the central province of Kabul, two people ─ a policeman and a civilian ─ were killed after a bomb attached to a bicycle detonated on Monday in the Qarabagh district, said Mohammad Azem, the district governor.

Azem added that four others, three policemen and a civilian, were wounded in that attack.

And in northern Samangan province, a provincial hospital director was killed when a sticky bomb attached to his car detonated on Tuesday in the provincial capital, Aybak, according to Sediq Azizi, the provincial spokesman.

Azizi said director Akramuddin Wakilzada was seen as a “possible candidate in the upcoming parliamentary elections” scheduled for October. The car's driver was wounded in the blast.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Kabul province and in Samangan.

The Taliban have stepped up their attacks against Afghan security forces as well as government officials since the announcement of their spring offensive in April across the country.

Opinion

Disputed canal project

Disputed canal project

It seems that PP, which claims to champion the struggle for people’s democratic rights, is now only interested in protecting its own power.

Editorial

Forgotten inmates
Updated 26 Feb, 2025

Forgotten inmates

Diversion programmes are needed for minor offences and people with psychosocial disabilities should receive treatment rather than be jailed.
Controlling crypto
26 Feb, 2025

Controlling crypto

THOUGH Pakistan’s official position on cryptocurrencies has evolved considerably over the years, there still seems...
Deadly roads
26 Feb, 2025

Deadly roads

DRIVING in Karachi can be hazardous, with chaos on the roads, and very little by way of following rules and...
All out
Updated 25 Feb, 2025

All out

PAKISTAN cricket captain Mohammad Rizwan’s assessment was brutal — it could not have been any other way. At ...
Bearing the brunt
25 Feb, 2025

Bearing the brunt

FOR the past several months, we have repeatedly been told by the prime minister and his cabinet that the government...
Afghan resettlement
25 Feb, 2025

Afghan resettlement

AFGHAN refugees who fled their country after the Taliban took over in 2021, and who hoped to resettle in the West,...