(MENAFN- Afghanistan Times) AT News Report
KABUL: Residents and officials in Logar province offer
contradicting allegations over civilian casualties in army airstrikes took
place Monday night in the Zarghoon Shahr village of Mohammad Agha district.
Residents of the village claim that 24 people were killed
and 20 others injured.
They said Tuesday that a mosque was targeted by the army's
warplanes in the Kamal village of Pol-e-Alam city, provincial capital, while
security forces opened fire at civilians, wounding them.
'It was 06:00pm on Monday and we were walking out of the
mosque after prayers that we came under bombardments,' said Rahimullah, a
resident of Kamal village who had helped the injured rush to the hospital. 'A
large number of civilians were killed, and boys, girls, elderly, farmers and
teachers were among them.'
'Yesterday afternoon, security forces shot civilians in
Zarghoon Shahr village, injuring 10, who are hospitalized in the Emergency
health facility, but two of them lost their lives,' Mohammad Hashem, a resident
of Zarghoon Shahr said.
'We can neither go to our farmlands, nor irrigate them. I
ask them (security forces) to let us evacuate or they leave our village,' Atta
Mohammad, another resident of Zarghoon Shahr said.
Earlier, defense ministry had said of the increase of
offensives against Taliban and other armed groups, claiming tens of insurgents
killed every day.
But, the increasing civilian casualty is a matter of
concern. A number of civilians were killed last week in the provinces of
Baghlan and Wardak. Residents of Baghlan blocked the Kabul-Balkh highway in
protest.
But the Logar incident was much bigger, with provincial
governor, Anwar Eshaqzai saying an investigation was underway.
'A delegation was dispatched to identify the dead people and
if they were civilians. However, security officials say most of them were
Taliban fighters. We will take checkpoints harassing people farther from them
in Zarghoon Shahr, but will never leave the village at all.'
Both the government and Taliban have assured of taking care
of civilian lives, while the independent human rights commission expresses concern
over civilian death and injuries.
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