UK admits injuring Afghan children in helicopter attack
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, July 25, IRNA -- The British government announced Monday that an investigation was being launched after admitting five Afghan children were injured in a strike carried out by a UK Apache attack helicopter.
'Any incident involving civilian casualties is a matter of deep regret and we take every possible measure to avoid such incidents,” a Ministry of Defence spokesman said.
'A shooting incident review is now under way and UK officials in Afghanistan are keeping the provincial governor abreast of the results of the investigation,' the spokesman said.
The Afghan children injured were said to have been working in a field in the Nahr-e-Saraj area of Helmand Province on Saturday as UK forces targeted an insurgent riding a motorcycle nearby opening fire with machine guns.
The victims were taken to Camp Bastion, the main British base in the province for treatment. The BBC reported that their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
ISAF also said in a statement that the NATO-led force was currently assessing the incident and that more details will be released as they become available.
According to a recent United Nations report, the first six months of 2011 were the deadliest for civilians in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001, when the country saw 1,462 civilian deaths, 15% more than the same period last year, although most were said to have been caused by roadside bombs and anti-government forces such as the Taliban.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
