UK checking records on Afghan civilian casualties
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, July 26, IRNA -- Britain’s Ministry of Defence said Monday it was unable to verify cases of Afghan civilians allegedly killed by UK troops that have been revealed among thousands of leaked US military documents.
The MoD said it was checking its records to try to verify the veracity of the claims and that "it would be inappropriate to speculate on specific cases without further verification of the alleged actions."
"The MoD and Isaf have strict procedures, frequently updated in the light of experience, intended to both minimise the risk of casualties occurring and to investigate any incidents that do happen," a spokesman told the BBC.
The spokesman insisted that UK forces "always do our utmost to ensure that we shield the civilian population from violence during the course of any military activity."
The publication of 90,000 US military records on Wikileaks website reveals many tragic stories of civilian deaths, including descriptions of at least 21 separate occasions in which British troops are said to have shot or bombed Afghan civilians, including women and children.
At her daily briefing Monday, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron refused to comment on the contents of the leaked documents, regarding British cases.
“We would lament all unauthorised releases of classified material. The White House has made a statement and we do not comment on leaked documents,” the spokeswoman said.
The US condemned as "irresponsible" the publication, saying that the claims could threaten national security.
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