ISAF confirms civilians inadvertently killed during operation in Ghazni

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

09.30.2010

Courtesy Story

ISAF Joint Command

KABUL, Afghanistan - An International Security Assistance Force Joint Command combined incident assessment team has determined that four Afghan civilians were killed and three were wounded during an ISAF operation in Andar District of Ghazni province, Wednesday.

The tragic incident occurred after combined Afghan and coalition forces came under effective small-arms fire from approximately eight insurgents. An air weapons team fired in an attempt to protect the Afghan-coalition troops from the insurgent attack, but instead accidentally struck a group of unarmed civilians, killing four and injuring three others. The wounded were evacuated to an ISAF medical facility for treatment and ISAF forces met with village elders to express their regret for what happened.

"We deeply regret that our operation resulted in civilian loss of life and we express our sincerest condolences to the families," said Rear Admiral Greg Smith, ISAF director of Communication. "We will provide solatia to the families of the civilians killed during the engagement."

ISAF is conducting a formal investigation of this incident.

• Date Taken: 09.30.2010
• Date Posted: 09.30.2010 12:37
• Story ID: 57249
• Location: KABUL, AF