Kabul: Hundreds of protesters, angered by an overnight NATO raid that had killed four civilians, clashed on Wednesday with security forces on the streets city of Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province.
At least 11 people were killed as the protesters tried to assault a NATO outpost in Taloqan, government officials said. They said some 50 protestors were injured in the clashes.
The NATO raid took place hours before on the outskirts of the city. The coalition said four insurgents died in the operation and that two others were detained.
Night raids targeting insurgents regularly stir up controversy in Afghanistan, where angry residents often charge the next day that international forces go after the wrong people or mistreat civilians as they search compounds. Success by NATO in reducing civilian casualties and agreements to conduct night raids alongside Afghan forces have not managed to stem the tide of accusations.
Provincial Governor Abdul Jabar Taqwa said the four casualties from the raid were two women and two men who were killed when troops burst into a home in an area known as Gawmal late Tuesday night. He said that no one in his government was informed about the raid and that NATO acted unilaterally.
NATO confirmed it killed four people, two of them women, but said all were armed and tried to fire on its troops. NATO said the raid was conducted by a “combined Afghan and coalition security force,” according to coalition policy.
A spokesman for NATO forces said that the governor was contacted ahead of the raid.
“It is standard practice in Takhar province to contact the Afghan provincial leadership prior to an operation. In this case, calls were placed to the provincial governor six times prior to the operation,” Maj. Michael Johnson said.
Provincial police chief Gen. Shah Jahan Noori said he had not been informed of the operation and said none of his officers were involved.
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