Published 19:35 IST, October 9th 2019
US airstrike has killed atleast 30 Afghans in May in Farah province
Reports say that 30 Afghan civilians were killed and nine others were injured in a US-led airstrike in the western Afghan province of Farah in the month of May.
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Reports say that 30 Aghan civilians were killed and nine others were injured in a US-led airstrike in the western Afghan province of Farah in May, The United Nations has stated in its report. The report was released by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan on October 9. Meanwhile, the US Forces in Afghanistan have dismissed the report.
Contents of the report
The report stated that airstrike took place in Bakwa district and that civilian houses were hit in midst of the strike. The strike was conducted in May when Afghan Ministry of Interior announced that 68 illicit narcotic-processing factories which were the target in an airstrike in Bakwa, Farah. The report also claimed that 150 Taliban were killed and 40 were injured in these airstrikes. But residents have reacted differently by claiming that victims were civilians. Air Strikes on May 5 had hit more than 60 sites in the western Afghan provinces of Farah and Nimroz bordering Iran, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and UN Human Rights Office said in a joint report. Since the past few years, US forces have struck sites which were used for manufacturing drugs as a way to cut off funds to the Taliban militant group.
US Forces opposes UN report
The US forces in Afghanistan meanwhile have opposed the UN report in Afghanistan airstrikes and have disputed the findings in a series of tweets.
USFOR-A is deeply concerned by UNAMA’s methods and findings. Sources with limited information, conflicted motives and violent agendas are not credible. USFOR -A follows the highest standards of accuracy and accountability to avoid harm to non-combatants and collateral damage. pic.twitter.com/3MnL2EDJ4K
— USFOR-A Spokesman Col Sonny Leggett (@USFOR_A) October 9, 2019
US forces for Afghanistan also said that UN report relies on sources which are not credible and support-
USFOR-A is concerned with the methods used by UNAMA – again. https://t.co/y1nXzq88VY
— USFOR-A Spokesman Col Sonny Leggett (@USFOR_A) October 9, 2019
See pp. 25-28: “…UNAMA reports rely primarily on human sources that may have only limited relevant information…”
USFOR-A investigates credible allegations of non-combatant casualties in a complex environment where others intentionally kill innocents, fight from behind civilians and use lies for propaganda. Unlike UNAMA, USFOR-A does not rely on websites like Voice of Jihad. Credible source? pic.twitter.com/e15FFWFGoN
— USFOR-A Spokesman Col Sonny Leggett (@USFOR_A) October 9, 2019
(With inputs from agencies)
17:23 IST, October 9th 2019