Ghazni protest against civilian deaths ends after assurances

GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok): The protest against civilian deaths in an airstrike in Andar district of southern Ghazni province was called off on its second day on Wednesday, reopening the Kabul-Kandahar highway.

More than a dozen people were killed and scores of others were wounded when an airstrike targeted a minivan in Liwan area of Andar district on Tuesday.

Local people and Taliban said all those killed were civilians but government officials maintained they were insurgents.

Residents of Andar district blocked the Kabul-Kandahar highway at Balkh gate in Ghazni city, the provincial capital, for a second day in protest against the incident.

Protestor Haji Abdullah told Pajhwok that they ended their protest after provincial officials assured them that the incident would be investigated and such incident would not recur in future. He said they ended their protest for a short time and took the dead bodies for burial.

Ghazni governor’s spokesman Mohammad Arif Noor told the protestors that a seven-member delegation to be comprised of four government officials and three tribal elders, would investigate the airstrike.

Earlier, Mohammad Younus, one of the protestors, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the attack targeted civilians’ vehicle and killed 13 non-combatants.

Those killed were residents of Akhundkhel and Gabari areas of the district and all were civilians, he said.

Another protestor, Wahidullah, said the ill-fated minivan was en route to Ghazni city when came under attack.

He stressed the incident should be investigated and those involved should be brought to justice.

A number of other protestors held similar views and said they would not let the highway to be reopened until their questions were answered.

However, Ghazni governor’s spokesman, Mohammad Arif Noori, said that the airstrike targeted a Taliban vehicle and killed three insurgents. He did not talk about the protest.

But Second Lt. Ahamd Sirat, Ghazni police spokesman, said seven Taliban fighters including a commander had been killed in the airstrike. He said they had received no report about any civilian casualties in the incident.

A Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that US forces bombarded a civilian vehicle and all the victims were civilians.

Civilian casualties have recently increased due to intensified clashes between the warring sides.

mds/ma

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