Press TV ^[1]
Friday, August 8, 2008

US-led coalition soldiers have shot dead four Afghan women and a child in an operation aimed at capturing a wanted militant in central Afghanistan.

The incident took place on Thursday as troops went to an area in central Ghazni province to nab an alleged Taliban militant believed to be coordinating foreign insurgents.

Several militants were also killed and three others detained in the operation.

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“As coalition forces approached a compound, they were threatened by several armed militants,” a statement released by the coalition force said.

The statement added that the soldiers responded with small-arms fire, killing the militants and ‘inadvertently’ targeting four women and a child who was with them.

Spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Rumi Nielson-Green also voiced the coalition’s regret over the civilian death. She vowed that a full and thorough investigation into the incident will soon get underway.

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