October 16, 2009

An Afghan woman and a child were killed in a joint NATO-Afghan attack in Afghanistan on Friday, sparking a protest by a group of angry villagers.

Civilian deaths, especially during attacks by U.S.-led NATO forces, have infuriated Afghans and increased hostility towards invasion of foreign troops.

The NATO-led force said the woman and a school-aged girl were killed during an attack by foreign and Afghan forces in the southeastern Ghazni province.

Reuters television images from the scene showed two bodies including that of a child lying on the floor of a house as a group of Afghans huddled together and cried over the bodies.

A group of 100 angry Afghans could be seen later in the day marching through a nearby village shouting "Death to America" and "Death to (President) Hamid Karzai".

Residents said house searches by troops looking for alleged Taliban fighters have antagonised the local population.

"House searches, killings and beatings of civilians have become daily business," said one villager.

Abdul Rahman Shaidaee, head of Ghazni's intelligence department, said according to his information four civilians were killed by international forces in the operation.

More than 1,500 civilians have been killed so far this year, according to the United Nations.

The kilings of civilans have continued although U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal, who took command of foreign forces in Afghanistan in June, has made protecting Afghan civilians the focal point of his strategy.

As a new kind of policy, McChrystal's new orders also call for more rapid efforts to apologise and provide compensation if civilians are killed.

Reuters