DOZENS OF CIVILIANS KILLED IN AFGHAN FORCES' ANTI-TALIBAN ATTACK

DOZENS OF CIVILIANS KILLED IN AFGHAN FORCES' ANTI-TALIBAN ATTACK
At least 40 civilians killed in air raid and ground assault on Taliban hideouts
by Afghan special forces.

At least 40 civilians at a wedding party have been killed during a raid conducted by Afghan special forces on a Taliban hideout, officials said. Abdul Majed Akhand, deputy provincial councilman, said the majority of the dead were women and children attending the wedding ceremony in Musa Qala district on Sunday night. "Some 40 people were killed and 18 others were wounded and were brought to the hospital," he told AFP news agency. "All the victims were civilians".

On Monday, Omar Zwak, the provincial governor's spokesman, told Al Jazeera that at least 14 fighters, including six foreigners, were also killed, adding that authorities were investigating reports on civilian casualties. "We know there have been civilian deaths in this raid but we don't have a number yet," he said. "However, we are investigating to find out more." Zwak added the civilians killed were part of the wedding procession that came under fire during the operation targeting a house used by the Taliban. "We have conflicting reports of just how many civilians were involved, but what does seem to be certain is that a number of women and children were among the casualties," said Al Jazeera's Rob McBride, reporting from Kabul.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's defence ministry said in a statement that as a result of the operations in Musa Qala district, 22 foreign members of the Taliban were killed and 14 arrested. The arrested "terrorists" include five Pakistani nationals and one Bangladeshi, it said. "The foreign terrorist group was actively engaged in organising terrorist attacks," said the statement which added that a large warehouse of the "terrorists'" supplies and equipment was also destroyed.

Source: Aljazeera – 23 September 2019

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