JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Nine people, including an Afghan Local Police (ALP) commander, have been killed and five others wounded in a security forces operation in eastern Nangarhar province, local sources said on Tuesday.
Afghan Special Forces’ 02 Unit conducted operation in the Sarchina village of Chaparhar district late on Monday night.
Attaullah Khogyani, the governor’s spokesman, confirmed the incident and casualties. Without going into details, he said information would be shared with the media later on.
Public Health Director Dr. Najibullah Kamawal told Pajhwok Afghan News nine bodies and five injured individuals had been brought to hospital from the site of the mistaken raid.
He said one woman and a child were among the injured but their condition was stable.
Mohammad Amin, an ALP officer, said an explosion took place before light weapons fire boomed. “We tried to escape, believing we were under attack from Daesh. But we were targeted by the Afghan forces.”
Ziaur Rahman Zia, spokesman for Meshrano Jirga, alleged the security forces had targeted relatives of Senate Chairman Fazal Hadi Muslimyar.
He said: “ALP commander, a member of Muslimyar’s family, his uncle, two cousins and other relatives were among the dead.”
Ghulam Haidar Faqiri, director of refugees and cousin of Muslimyar, confirmed the victims were civilians and his family members.
Meanwhile, Khogyani said a high level delegation from Kabul had arrived in Jalalabad to investigate the airstrike.
On the other hand, Shams Rahman Muslimyar, a provincial council member and brother of Meshrano Jirga chairman, requested ‘in-depth probe’ into the incident.
On his Facebook page, Muslimyar said last night’s operation in Chinaro village of Chaparhar killed family members of the Meshrano Jirga Chairman and close relatives. He also named those killed in the airstrike and said the victims were cousins and grandchildren of the Senate chairman.
“The Meshrano Jirga Chairman was in Saudi Arabia when the incident happened, his family and relatives have asked the central government to thoroughly investigate the attack,” he said.
He warned local and central administrations would be held responsible of future consequences if the incident was poorly investigated. The injured and family members of the victims said they wanted to be given the reason why their nine relatives were killed.
Shah Tamas, who lost his son, Zurawar Khan (ALP commander) and three grandchildren, demanded the main perpetrators of the attack should be identified and punished. He said both who conducted the airstrike and those killed were all Afghan security forces, something he deemed questionable.
In the same district, and some other areas of Nangarhar, Afghan Special Forces, backed by foreign forces, had targeted civilians in the past.
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