Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
June 12, 2017
Three Afghan civilians have been killed by U.S. forces in the eastern province of Nangarhar, local officials say.
Ghani Khel district chief Abdul Wahab said that U.S. troops opened fire on civilians early on June 12 after their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.
“They opened fire on civilians walking in the vicinity, killing all three,” Wahab said. “They might have thought the people were the ones who set up the bomb.”
Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the dead included a man and his two sons.
Douglas High, a spokesman for the NATO mission in Afghanistan, said that a convoy transporting U.S. and Afghan soldiers “returned fire in self-defense” when it was attacked by a roadside bomb and small-arms fire.
High said there were no U.S. casualties and that no official reports of civilian casualties had been received.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast, dpa news agency reported.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, and dpa
Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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