KANDAHAR CITY (PAN attacked a visiting high-profile government probe team at the scene of Sunday’s brutal killing of 16 civilians by a US soldier in southern Kandahar province, officials said.
The delegation led by Chief of Army Staff Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi, includes deputy interior minister, deputy chief of National Directorate of Security (NDS), two brothers of President Hamid Karzai, Kandahar Governor, minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, Asadullah Khalid and provincial police chief.
The gunfire broke out as the delegation members attended a service held to pay homage to the victims in a mosque in the Najeeban village.
The militant attack targeting the delegation took place at about 12 pm as the officials arrived to probe the massacre, the governor’s spokesman, Zalmay Ayubi, told Pajhwok Afghan News.
Two people, including an Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier, were injured in the attack lasting 10 minutes, he added.
Earlier, Ayubi said members of the delegation escaped unhurt but a local resident was injured in the incident. The militants fled the scene after clashing with police, said Ayubi.
Gen. Sher Muhammad Karimi, the chief of army staff, said US forces commander in the area had promised him to meet the soldier involved in the incident. Calling the act as criminal, Karimi said all those killed were civilians. An investigation report would be issued with support of US forces, he added.
Muhammad Wazir, a local, who lost his 11 family members in the incident, urged the government to close the US base in the area and punish the responsible soldier in Afghanistan.
The visiting delegation also provided 100000 afghanis for each killed and 50000 afghanis for injured to their families.
myn/vp/mas/ma
Views: 0
GET IN TOUCH
NEWSLETTER
SUGGEST A STORY
PAJHWOK MOBILE APP