2 Kunduz civilians injured by ISAF

KUNDUZ CITY (PAN-led soldiers and another four arrested on charges of having links to militants in northern Kunduz province, an official said on Tuesday.

Two brothers were wounded in the Mang Tepa area of Khanabad district on Monday, when International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers inadvertently fired on them, a police official said.

Col. Ghulam Mohiuddin told Pajhwok Afghan News the injured were aged 12 and 25. They were wounded while sitting inside a shop in the area, where NATO-led troops were conducting a patrol.

“I was inside my shop. I heard gunshots and saw the brothers crying due to their injuries. Later, foreign soldiers took them to their hospital for treatment,” said a local shopkeeper, Qurban, 30.

The ISAF media office in Kunduz City confirmed the incident. The alliance expressed regrets over the inadvertent shooting.

In other news, foreign soldiers arrested four men on charges of having ties to Taliban Sahib district of the province.

Col. Abdul Qayyum Ibrahimi, the district police head, said the arrests came during an offensive by foreign soldiers on Monday night.

The alliance wanted to net Najibullah, who has links with Al Qaeda, but he was not present at his residence. He said the soldiers had not informed local officials of the overnight raid.

frm/mud