NATO says international forces have killed an Afghan civilian in volatile area
By APSunday, January 17, 2010
NATO forces kill Afghan civilian in volatile area
KABUL — International forces killed an Afghan civilian Sunday after opening fire at a speeding vehicle in a southern district that has been the site of violent protests, NATO said.
The U.N. says the number of Afghan civilians killed by U.S. and other international forces has declined sharply after top commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal tightened rules on the use of airstrikes and other weaponry to reduce civilians casualties. But Sunday’s shooting underscored the dangers still facing Afghans who find themselves caught in the middle of escalating fighting.
The Afghan man died Sunday after he was shot in the chest, NATO said in a statement. He was one of six people traveling at a high speed in a large vehicle with no headlights, it said. The vehicle stopped after international soldiers fired three to five rounds into the grill.
The man was transported to a medical facility at Forward Operating Base Dwyer but died of his wounds. None of the other five passengers was injured. A joint investigation by NATO and Afghan officials is under way.
Garmsir has been the site of violent demonstrations this week after rumors spread that NATO forces had desecrated a Quran. NATO denies the rumors.
Five other Afghan civilians were wounded in the area on Wednesday when U.S. Marines and Afghan forces opened fire during one protest outside another military base.
Helmand is a Taliban-influenced area expected to be a major focus of President Barack Obama’s troop surge.
A roadside bomb killed two Afghan soldiers, while five militants were killed in joint Afghan operations elsewhere in the province on Saturday, according to the Defense Ministry.
Tags: Afghanistan, As-afghanistan, Asia, Barack Obama, Central Asia, Collateral Damage, Kabul, North America, United States, War Casualties
