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The National (United Arab Emirates) December 28, 2009 US forces ‘like to kill us’ Sayed Karim Villagers stand next to the bodies of civilians who they say were killed in a Nato-led attack in Laghman province on December 8. Rafiq Shirzad / Reuters MEHTAR LAM, LAGHMAN PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN: When Hadyatullah heard gunshots near his home, his first thought was that they were the sound of thieves. By the time he realised he was wrong, the United States was at the centre of another storm surrounding civilian casualties. “They like to kill us,” he said. “Even if Osama [bin Laden] is in our village they should not open fire. First they should inform the people, then they should do the mission.” The raid in the eastern province of Laghman this month followed a pattern that has become sadly familiar in Afghanistan over recent years. As is often the case, international forces insisted militants were killed, but local officials and villagers claimed the dead were civilians. Soon afterwards, hundreds of protesters chanting anti-US and anti-government slogans had taken to the streets and more hearts and minds appear to have been lost. According to witnesses, US troops entered a number of houses near the provincial capital, Mehtar Lam, in an overnight operation. The victims included Mohammed Ismail, whose 10-year-old son, Rafiullah, described what happened: “When the soldiers came to our house, my father asked them, ‘Who are you?’ Then they shot him in the head and told us, ‘Be quiet and tell us where the weapons are’.” Said Ahmad Safi, a spokesman for Laghman’s governor, said insurgents had previously staged attacks against officials and foreign troops in the area. He acknowledged that 12 people – including a woman – had apparently died in the raid, which locals reported was carried out by US Special Forces. “We criticise all operations that have civilian casualties,” he said, adding that such incidents “create a lot of space between the government and the nation”. This is not the first time the tactics of foreign troops have caused controversy in Laghman. In January, another attack by US forces in the province is alleged to have killed a number of civilians, a fact also disputed by the coalition. Discontent with the government and the occupation has inevitably fuelled support for the Taliban among the local population. Despite still being relatively secure compared with much of eastern Afghanistan, there has been growing rebel activity here in recent months as the insurgents edge closer and closer to neighbouring Kabul. In one high-profile attack this summer, the deputy leader of the Afghan intelligence service was killed by a suicide bomber during a visit to the province. The latest US raid has only added to the sense that the situation in Laghman is starting to deteriorate markedly. When news spread that 12 civilians had apparently died, a second tragedy quickly occurred when a protester was fatally shot by local security forces. Najib-ur-Rahman, 25, lost an uncle and a nephew in the initial incident. He claimed that the troops were given false information that suggested militants were operating in the area. “There is one difference between the American soldiers and the Afghans. The Americans killed our people at night and the Afghans killed them in the day,” he said.... [W]ith 30,000 extra US troops due to arrive in the coming year, many of Laghman’s residents are worried that ordinary people will be caught up in an increasingly bloody war. Gulzar Sankerwal, chairman of the provincial council, said: “The Taliban do not fight face to face. This is guerrilla fighting so if more troops arrive, they will not solve the problem. When the commander in Kabul asked Obama for the extra troops, he knew the USA would end up with one achievement, and that is more civilian casualties.” More than 500 foreign service members have died in 2009 compared with 295 in 2008. Meanwhile, a UN report in the summer found civilian fatalities had risen by 24 per cent in the first six months of the year. =========================== Stop NATO http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato To subscribe, send an e-mail to: stopnato-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato/messages http://lists.topica.com/lists/ANTINATO/read ============================== --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST --^---------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: arch...@mail-archive.com EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bNM5nn.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: antinato-unsubscr...@topica.com For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit: http://www.topica.com/?p=TEXFOOTER --^----------------------------------------------------------------
