By The Associated Press, cbc.ca, Updated: August 12, 2010 5:56 AM
Afghans protest deadly NATO raid
A crowd of about 300 villagers yelled "death to the United States" and blocked a main road in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, claiming U.S. forces had killed three innocent villagers, officials said.
NATO forces rejected the claim, saying they had killed several suspected insurgents and detained a local Taliban commander in the overnight raid.
Thursday's raid happened before dawn in Wardak province's Sayed Abad district — a Taliban-dominated area where Afghan police can only go with very tight security, according to district Police Chief Abdul Karim Abed.
Elders from Zarin Khil village said American troops stormed into a family's house and shot three young men — brothers — and then took their father into custody, Abed said. Police are investigating the allegations but could not yet confirm or deny the account, he said.
NATO called the men "suspected insurgents" and a spokesman, Capt. Ryan Donald, said they drew weapons and pointed them at the coalition troops.
"The assault force engaged the threat, killing the men. After securing the compound, the assault force detained one suspected insurgent," the NATO statement said.
Elders deny claims of fighting
According to the elders, there was no fighting before the troops entered the house, Abed said.
Early Thursday morning, men from the village started to gather in the main market of Sayed Abad to protest the alleged civilian killings, Abed said. The men blocked the main highway going through the area and burned two trucks belonging to Afghan private security contractors, Abed said.
Abed said he did not have more detailed information because he was unable to leave the police compound.
"If we go out, maybe fighting will start," he said.
The raid comes just two days after the United Nations released a midyear report that found civilian deaths had spiked 31 per cent in 2010 over the same period last year.
The report also found that deaths from U.S., NATO and other pro-government forces had dropped 13 per cent in the first six months of 2010.
The Taliban has blasted the report, accusing the UN of playing "a major role as a propaganda organization for the American imperialism and keeps covering up the blatant crimes of the Pentagon."
With files from CBC News
