The Militant (logo)  
   Vol. 70/No. 44           November 20, 2006  
 
 
NATO air strikes kill scores of civilians in Afghanistan
 
BY SAM MANUEL  
WASHINGTON—Authorities in Afghanistan estimate that as many as 85 Afghan civilians were killed by NATO troops during the last week of October. Many were killed by airstrikes, which are often used by NATO forces against armed supporters of the Taliban.

A top NATO general expressed regret for the deaths but accused the Taliban of using civilians as cover. The Taliban regime was ousted by the U.S.-led invasion shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

In other developments, a spokesmen for the Taliban said the group has rejected an offer of “peace talks” by the U.S.-backed regime in Kabul. Supporters of the Taliban have stepped up use of roadside bombs over the past year, often striking civilians.

NATO placed the number of civilians killed in an attack in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar at 12. Afghan officials disputed that figure and said about 25 civilians were killed.

Maj. Luke Knittig, a spokesman for NATO forces, said as many as 70 Taliban supporters were killed in three clashes in or around the villages of Lay Kundi and Mirwisa Mina. But Abdul Aye, a resident of Mirwisa Mina, said there were no Taliban in his village. Aye said he lost 22 family members in the NATO attack, according to the Associated Press.

Human Rights Watch criticized NATO for relying too much on airstrikes. The group noted that the U.S. Central Command reported 340 airstrikes in Afghanistan in June, double the 160 strikes in Iraq the same month.

A spokesman for the Taliban rejected an offer to open talks with the Afghan government, reported AP. An e-mail sent to the news agency by Muhammad Hanif dismissed the offer, calling the U.S.-backed regime in Kabul headed by President Hamid Karzai a “puppet” government. “We say even today that there is no possibility of any talks when the country is under occupation,” the statement said.

The Pakistani military, meanwhile, said it destroyed an Islamic school alleged to have ties to al-Qaeda. Kabul has said that al-Qaeda ally and former Taliban leader Mullah Omar has taken sanctuary in Pakistan, while Islamabad maintains Omar is still in Afghanistan.

The attack on the Islamic school came two days after some 3,000 Taliban supporters held a rally nearby in support of Omar and al-Qaeda leader Osama bin-Laden. Pakistani military spokesman Shaukat Sultan said the school was run by a local cleric wanted for providing sanctuary to al-Qaeda.
 
 
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