Tuesday, April 06, 2010
U.S. soldiers take photos after killing 5 innocent people in Khataba, February 12 2010 (AP Photo/Anonymous)
U.S. Special Operations commandoes in February mistakenly killed five Afghans, including two pregnant women, and then tried to cover up their mistake. An investigation by NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) determined that American and Afghan special forces arrived at the village of Khataba in Paktia province on February 12, entered a residential compound, and opened fire on two men—a police officer and a local prosecutor—because “they showed what appeared to be hostile intent by being armed,” according to the investigation. The two pregnant women, along with an 18-year-old girl, were also killed by the gunfire.
Dozens of people had gathered at the home to celebrate the naming of newborn baby. When they saw armed men on their property, they assumed the intruders were Taliban.
After the bungled raid, the Americans removed bullets from the dead bodies and cleaned the wounds with alcohol as part of their cover up. The Special Forces then lied to their superiors, claiming they found the women already dead when they entered Khataba.
Mohammed Tahir, the father of the 18-year-old girl, told the Times of London, “The foreigners are always talking about human rights. But they don’t care about human rights, They teach us human rights, then they kill a load of civilians. They didn’t come here to end terrorism. They are terrorists.”
“We deeply regret the outcome of this operation, accept responsibility for our actions that night, and know that this loss will be felt forever by the families,” said Brigadier General Eric Tremblay, an ISAF spokesperson, in a prepared statement. “The force went to the compound based on reliable information in search of a Taliban insurgent and believed that the two men posed a threat to their personal safety. We now understand that the men killed were only trying to protect their families.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Gardez Investigation Concludes (International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan)
US Special Forces 'Tried to Cover-Up' Botched Khataba Raid in Afghanistan (by Jerome Starkey, Times of London)
Afghan Investigators Say U.S. Troops Tried to Cover Up Evidence in Botched Raid (by Richard Oppel Jr. and Abdul Waheed Wafa, New York Times)
Survivors of Family Killed in Afghanistan Raid Threaten Suicide Attacks (by Jerome Starkey, Times of London)
NATO “Covered Up” Botched Night Raid in Afhgnaistan that Killed Five (by Jerome Starkey, Times of London)
Joint Force Operating in Gardez Makes Gruesome Discovery (International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan)
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