Seven children killed in strike on suspected Al-Qaeda safehouse
Pastor Dale Morgan
Monday June 18, 12:17 PM
*Seven children killed in strike on suspected Al-Qaeda safehouse*
Seven children were killed in a US-led coalition air strike against a
suspected Al-Qaeda safehouse in eastern Afghanistan that also left
several militants dead, the force said Monday.
The coalition said it had "credible intelligence" that fighters from the
Al-Qaeda network were sheltering at the complex in the eastern province
of Paktika, which included a mosque and a religious school.
Its forces "confirmed the presence of nefarious activity" at the site
before getting approval to attack.
The air strike late Sunday "resulted in several militants and seven
civilians killed," the coalition said in a statement.
"Early reporting has that seven children at the madrassa died as a
result of the strike."
Afghan children start going to madrassas, where they have a
religious-based education, when they are between six and seven years old.
The coalition said residents of the compound in the Zarghun Shah
district, about 180 kilometres (120) miles south of Kabul, reported that
Al-Qaeda fighters had been present all day.
"This is another example of Al-Qaeda using the protective status of a
mosque, as well as innocent civilians, to shield themselves," said
coalition spokesman Major Chris Belcher.