UN slams US over killing of Afghan civilians
My Name
Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:21:18 GMT
The killing of civilians by coalition forces prompted anti-
US rallies across Afghanistan.
http://www.presstv.ir/photo/20100101/khan20100101083254562.jpg
The UN special envoy in Afghanistan has said he is concerned
about the mounting civilian death toll in the war-ravaged
country.
Kai Eide warned against nighttime actions by coalition
forces ''given that they often result in lethal outcomes for
civilians."
The UN representative urged US-led NATO forces to make every
effort to minimize civilian casualties in Afghanistan.
He was referring to the alleged killing of ten civilians at
the hands of foreign troops on Sunday in northeast
Afghanistan. The US military insists that the victims were
armed militants.
The UN however confirmed that Afghans slain in a US-led raid
at weekend were Students.
''Based on our initial investigation, eight of those killed
were students enrolled in local schools.'' Eide said.
The victims, including eight school children, were dragged
out of their homes in the Kunar province and shot to death.
Military offensives in Kunar, which borders Pakistan, are
being led by US Special Forces.
Eide's comments come as the Afghan government has called on
NATO to hand over the foreign troops responsible for
Sunday's killings.
President Hamid Karzai on Thursday demanded the US hand over
the gunmen who killed the children.
The coalition attack has sparked a public outcry and
prompted anti-US demonstrations, with protesters in Kabul
demanding that US forces should leave the country.
Protesters strongly condemned the killing and warned of
violent reaction by the public. The demonstrators have
torched a US flag and several effigies of US President
Barack Obama over the past 48 hours.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a recent
report that 2,038 civilians had died in the first 10 months
of 2009 as a result of US-led operations in the conflict-
torn country.
Figures released by the United Nations indicate a 10 percent
rise in the civilian death toll from the US-led war in
Afghanistan with a good share of fatalities caused by
foreign forces.
Kai Eide is a Norwegian diplomat who was appointed Head of
the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan on
March 7, 2008.
JR/JG/DT
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115090§ionid=351020403
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