Dozens of Afghanis Killed in NATO Airstrikes, Protests Against Killing Civilians, August 12, 2010

Dozens of Afghanis Killed in NATO Airstrikes, Protests Against Killing Civilians

August 12, 2010

Editor's Note:

The following news stories represent the NATO side of the conflict. It cannot be independently verified or compared to Taliban accounts, which are absent from the internet.

While the NATO statement mentioned that there were more than 20 Taliban fighters killed, photos and photo captioned by AP showed that the NATO attacks resulted in killing Afghani civilians, as usual.

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Afghan-Led Clearing Operation Kills more than 20 Insurgents in Paktiya

ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan (August 12, 2010) -

An Afghan and coalition security force killed more than 20 armed insurgents (This is a reference to Taliban fighters) during an on-going clearing operation aimed at disrupting the Haqqani Network's freedom of movement in Dzadran district of Paktiya province.

This area is known Haqqani Network safe haven and used to stage attacks into Kabul and the Khost-Gardez pass. When the security force arrived, dozens of insurgents occupied entrenched fighting positions throughout the mountainous area, preparing to engage the security force with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons. An air weapons team suppressed the enemy resulting in more than 20 insurgents killed so far.

"The Haqqani Netrwork is a prevalent insurgent threat in Afghanistan right now. Afghan and coalition forces are focused on smothering their influence and power," said U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Combined Joint Operation Center director. "Every day we are taking more insurgents off the battlefield so that Afghans can live in peace."

This clearing operation is still ongoing. ISAF will provide updates as they become available.

Afghan Woman Killed During Fire Fight in Helmand

ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-08-CA-134

KABUL, Afghanistan (Aug. 12, 2010) -

Afghan and coalition forces operating in the Musa Qal' ah district of Helmand province Wednesday were attacked by insurgents (Taliban fighters) with small arms.

After forces gained positive identification of the enemy, they returned fire to suppress the threat and as a result of that engagement, an Afghan civilian woman was shot by International Security Assistance Force soldiers. The woman was given immediate medical attention by coalition forces, but subsequently died of her wounds.

ISAF officials deeply regret this unfortunate loss of life and express their sincerest apologies to the family.

Villagers shout anti- U.S. slogans

AP, August 12, 2010

Villagers shout anti- U.S. slogans following the alleged U.S. raid in Sayed Abad district of Wardak province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010. A crowd of about 300 villagers yelled 'Death to the United States' and blocked a main road in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday as they swore that U.S. forces had killed three innocent villagers, officials said.

Twenty Taliban Fighters Killed in Afghanistan Battle: NATO

August 12, 2010

KABUL (Reuters) –

At least 20 Taliban fighters (referred to by Reuters and NATO editors as insurgents) were killed in Afghanistan's southeast in an operation against the Haqqani network, the NATO-led alliance said Thursday.

Air strikes were called in after Afghan and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops found dozens of Taliban fighters in "entrenched fighting positions" in a mountainous area of Dzadran district in Paktia, not far from the Pakistan border, ISAF said in a statement.

"This area is a known Haqqani network safe haven and used to stage attacks into Kabul and the Khost-Gardez pass," ISAF said.

"An air weapons team suppressed the enemy, resulting in more than 20 insurgents killed so far."

The Haqqani network, headed by Jalaluddin Haqqani, a hero of the 1980s guerrilla war against the Soviet Union, and his son, is based mainly in Pakistan's North Waziristan and adjoining provinces in Afghanistan.

It has staged several high-profile attacks, including an assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2008.

General James Mattis, confirmed on August 6 as the new head of the U.S. military command overseeing operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere, said last month he wanted leaders of the group designated as terrorists, a move seen as raising pressure on Pakistan to go after the group.

Pakistan sees Haqqani -- who had long-standing links with its military spy agency -- as likely to be a valuable asset in Afghanistan if US troops leave before the country is stabilized.

"The Haqqani network is a prevalent insurgent threat in Afghanistan right now. Afghan and coalition forces are focused on smothering their influence and power," the statement quoted U.S. Army Colonel Rafael Torres as saying.

Effective leadership of the group has now passed from Jalaluddin Haqqani, who is in his 70s, to his more militant eldest son, Sirajuddin, security analysts say.

Fighting in Afghanistan, led by the Taliban movement, has intensified as U.S. troops prepare to start staged withdrawals from July 2011.

June of this year was the deadliest month for foreign forces in nearly 10 years of war. A U.N. report said this week that civilian casualties had risen 31 percent in the first half of 2010, including 1,271 killed.

Almost 150,000 foreign soldiers are under the command of NATO and the U.S. military.

(Writing by Andrew Hammond; Editing by Paul Tait)

Taliban Movement Rejects UN Civilian Casualties Report

UPI, August 12, 2010, at 7:55 AM

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 12 (UPI) --

Taliban leaders Thursday rejected a U.N. report blaming the group and other insurgent (resistance) organizations for 76 percent of all civilian causalities in Afghanistan.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the report was part of a Pentagon-driven propaganda campaign aimed at turning the people against the Taliban fighters, CNN reported.

The U.N. representative in Afghanistan should end the propaganda campaign and actions seeking to destroy the Taliban, and accept reality, Mujahid said.

The U.N. report, issued Tuesday, said among other things killings and attacks on children by the Taliban and other groups are soaring.

The report documented 3,268 civilian casualties, including 1,271 deaths and 1,997 injuries from Jan. 1 through June 30.

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