NATO says insurgents killed in raid where bodies found; family blames US

NATO says insurgents killed; family says civilians

KABUL — A joint Afghan-NATO force killed several insurgents during a raid on a compound where troops discovered the bodies of two men and two bound and gagged women, NATO said Friday. Family members accused U.S. soldiers of killing innocent civilians.

Afghan officials in Paktia province confirmed Friday they are investigating the deaths of five people in a home near the provincial capital of Gardez.

Police Chief Gen. Azizudin Wardak said the five — two men and three women — were killed Thursday night during a party. One of the men worked for the police, while the second man worked for the attorney general’s office, he said.

“Who killed them? We still don’t know,” he said, adding the investigation is under way.

Civilian deaths during military operation are a hot-button issue in Afghanistan, and U.S. commanders have issued strict orders to limit the use of force when civilians are at risk. President Hamid Karzai has also called on NATO to stop night raids into private homes because they offend Afghan culture and help turn people away from the government and its allies.

The Interior Ministry sent a team Friday to Paktia to investigate the incident, indicating the high level concern over new allegations of civilian casualties.

NATO forces have pledged to “cooperate fully in this joint investigation,” said Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay, spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force.

In a statement, NATO forces said the operation took place Thursday night in the Gardez district after the joint force received reports of militant activity at a compound near the village of Khatabeh.

“Several insurgents engaged the joint force in a fire fight and were killed,” the statement said, without saying how many had died. Then “a large number of men, women, and children” exited the compound and were detained by the joint force, it said.

An initial statement said the joint force searching the compound made a “gruesome discovery” — the bodies of three women who had been bound, gagged and killed. The bodies had been hidden in an adjacent room, the statement said.

But a second statement several hours later said the joint force found the bound and gagged bodies of two women and two dead men. There was no explanation for the initial discrepancy.

Eight men have been detained for questioning, NATO forces said, adding that a joint forensic investigation will be conducted.

However, relatives of the dead accused American forces of being responsible for the deaths of all five people when contacted by The Associated Press by phone.

A man who identified himself as Hamidullah said he had been in the home as some 20 people gathered to celebrate the birth of a son when a group of men he described as “U.S. special forces” surrounded the compound.

When one man came out into the courtyard to ask why, Hamidullah said he watched U.S. forces gun him down.

“Daoud was coming out of the house to ask what was going on. And then they shot him,” he said.

Then they killed a second man, Hamidullah said. The rest of the group were forced out into the yard, made to kneel and had their hands bound behind their back, he said, breaking off crying without giving any further details.

A deputy provincial council member in Gardez, Shahyesta Jan Ahadi, said news of the operation has inflamed the local community that believes the Americans were responsible for the deaths.

“Last night, the Americans conducted an operation in a house and killed five innocent people, including three women. The people are so angry,” he said.

Ahadi said the operation had not included any Afghan forces, saying “The government didn’t know about this.”

“We strongly condemn this,” he said, suggesting that locals might organize a demonstration to protest.