Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
US 'excessive' in Afghan attack
US marines violated international humanitarian law by using excessive violence in reaction to a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan, a report says.
At least 12 civilians died and 35 were injured during the incident which took place on 4 March in Nangarhar province.
The report, published by Afghanistan's Human Rights Commission, said the reaction was disproportionate.
The special command unit used "indiscriminate force", it says, killing both women and children.
The findings of the report echo those of the US military's own initial investigation which concluded that the marines' response "was out of proportion to the threat that was immediately there".
Deleted footage
The Afghan report said that, in failing to distinguish between civilian and legitimate military targets, the US marine corps used "indiscriminate force".
"Their actions thus constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law standards," it said.
The US said that the Nangarhar fighting, near the city of Jalalabad, started when a convoy of marines was attacked by a suicide bomber and came under co-ordinated small-arms fire.
But the Afghan report said that the evidence of a complex ambush involving militant gunmen who fired on the convoy was "far from conclusive".
More
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6556721.stm
The report, published by Afghanistan's Human Rights Commission, said the reaction was disproportionate.
The special command unit used "indiscriminate force", it says, killing both women and children.
The findings of the report echo those of the US military's own initial investigation which concluded that the marines' response "was out of proportion to the threat that was immediately there".
Deleted footage
The Afghan report said that, in failing to distinguish between civilian and legitimate military targets, the US marine corps used "indiscriminate force".
"Their actions thus constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law standards," it said.
The US said that the Nangarhar fighting, near the city of Jalalabad, started when a convoy of marines was attacked by a suicide bomber and came under co-ordinated small-arms fire.
But the Afghan report said that the evidence of a complex ambush involving militant gunmen who fired on the convoy was "far from conclusive".
More
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6556721.stm
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$210.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network
"My investigating officer believes those folks were innocent … We were unable to find evidence that those were fighters," Major General Frank H. Kearney, who ordered the investigation into the aftermath of the bombing of a US convoy in the eastern province of Nangarhar, was quoted as saying Sunday, April 15, by The Washington Post.
On March 4, 12 Afghan civilians were killed and 35 were injured, including children and elderly villagers, after US Marines opened fire indiscriminately following the bombing of one of their convoys on a busy highway between the eastern city of Jalalabad and the Pakistan border.
US Marines initially said they responded to small-arms fire from several directions to defend themselves.
But the preliminary US investigation refuted their claims, concluding that the unit did not come under fire after the bombing.
More