US troops kill five Afghan policemen
Agencies
Friday March 16, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
US forces mistakenly killed five Afghan policemen in a clash in the south of the country yesterday, Afghanistan's government said today.
Officials have been sent to investigate the clash, which happened at a police checkpoint in the Gereshk district of Helmand province, an Afghan interior ministry spokesman said.
"Coalition forces mistakenly opened fire on police," the spokesman added. "Unfortunately, five policemen were killed."
He said he was unable to provide any further details of how the incident occurred. US military officials were not available for comment.
The clash came as Nato forces continued their largest operation in Afghanistan so far. The operation is intended to secure a region of Helmand province, a stronghold for Taliban militants.
Helmand is the centre of the Taliban-led insurgency and the country's opium and heroin trade, which is believed to help fund the Taliban but also profits Afghan officials.
Lieutenant Colonel Angela Billings, a spokeswoman for Nato's international security assistance force in Kabul, said Nato troops were not involved in the clash.
In total, 47,000 western forces are currently deployed in Afghanistan, with 36,000 Nato troops and a further 11,000 US troops engaged in "anti-terror" activities.
U.K. Coroner: U.S. 'Friendly Fire' Attack on British Soldier Was Criminal
Friday , March 16, 2007
AP
LONDON —
A coroner conducting an inquest into a U.S. friendly fire attack that killed a British soldier during the Iraq war said Friday that it was unlawful and criminal.
Oxfordshire Assistant Deputy Coroner Andrew Walker also criticized the U.S. military for failing to cooperate with his investigation into the incident.
"I believe that the full facts have not yet come to light," said Walker, who has complained that he did not get all the evidence he needed about the U.S. A-10 "Tank-buster" plane that killed Lance Cpl. Matty Hull, 25, in an attack on his armored vehicle convoy.
Four other British soldiers were wounded in the March 28, 2003 attack in southern Iraq.
"The attack on the convoy amounted to an assault," Walker said. "It was unlawful because there was no lawful reason for it, and in that respect it was criminal.
Walker also said "I don't think this was a case of honest mistake. There is no evidence the pilots were acting in self-defense."
The coroner's verdict is not binding on the United States, which is not subject to British law.
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US denies Afghan police deaths
Last Updated: Friday, 16 March 2007, 17:51 GMT - BBC News
Alastair Leithead
BBC News, Kabul
Five policemen have been killed in Helmand province in the south of Afghanistan in what appears to have been a clash between friendly forces.
Initial reports from the ministry of interior and the deputy police chief for Helmand said American troops had been responsible for the deaths.
The government even went as far as to criticise the US troops.
But the US-led coalition has denied any involvement in the incident and has refused to comment further.
'Not excusable'
The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force has also denied reports that American troops working under their command had been at the scene.
The government has demanded a "full explanation" into the attack, which it said was "not excusable".
Afghan men shout anti-American slogans after the killing of civilians.
Protests have been held over US forces allegedly targeting civilians
What appears to have happened, based on information from officials who did not want to be named, is that an Afghan National Army (ANA) unit approached a police check point in the village of Spin Kalay, near Gereshk, and was fired upon.
They then returned fire, and in that shooting some auxiliary police were killed and injured.
An American Embedded Training Team vehicle then arrived on the scene.
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