Afghan civilians killed as US troops open fire
JALALABAD: As many as three Afghan civilians were killed on Monday when American troops opened fire after their vehicle struck a roadside bomb, an official in Nangarhar province said.
A man and his two sons were killed at their home in Ghani Khel, a district in the south of Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan, said Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor.
“After the bomb blast hit them, the American forces then started shooting and killed one man and two children nearby,” he said.
The US military command in Kabul said a convoy of American and Afghan troops was struck by a roadside bomb and attacked by gunmen. “The convoy returned fire in self-defence and there were no US casualties,” the command said in a statement.
There had been no official report of civilian casualties filed, but the military was investigating the incident, the US military said in a statement.
“We take civilian casualties very seriously and all allegations are thoroughly investigated,” it said.
Civilian casualties have run at near record highs as fighting spreads to more areas of Afghanistan, according to the United Nations.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani generally has been less vocal than his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, in publicly criticising the US military when troops are involved in incidents where civilians are killed.
On Saturday, three American soldiers were killed and one wounded when an Afghan soldier opened fire on them in Nangarhar, where elite US troops have been helping Afghan forces battle Islamic State militants.
Also over the weekend, an American air strike in southern Afghanistan killed at least three Afghan policemen and wounded several during a joint operation by Afghan and US special forces.
US and Afghan troops have been battling militants in Nangarhar province for months.
IS, or Daesh as it is known in Afghanistan, has established a stronghold in the region, which borders Pakistan.
US military officials estimate there are about 600 to 800 IS fighters in Afghanistan, mostly in Nangarhar, but also in the neighbouring province of Kunar.
The increase in involvement by US troops and warplanes comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration weighs whether to deploy more troops in the wartorn country.
Reuters reported in late April that the US administration was carrying out a review of Afghani- stan and there were conversations over whether to send between 3,000 and 5,000 US and coalition troops to Afghanistan.
Deliberations include giving more authority to forces on the ground and taking more aggressive action against Taliban fighters. This could allow US advisers to work with Afghan troops below the corps level, potentially putting them closer to fighting, a US official said.
Meanwhile, the US military confirmed they opened fire in “self defence” but said they had so far not received any official allegations of civilian casualties. “We take civilian casualties very seriously and all allegations are thoroughly investigated,” the military said in a statement.
“The incident is under investigation and more information will be released as appropriate.” Nangarhar is a stronghold of IS and Afghan forces backed by US troops have been battling for months to drive them out. — Reuters