Approximately 30 civilians and 20 police officers were killed in recent days in two raids by NATO in Afghanistan, authorities said in the provinces of Helmand and Nuristan.
In Helmand, NATO helicopters intervened to protect a target that was attacked in Nawzad district. “Unfortunately, 14 innocent civilians – five girls, seven boys and two women – were killed and six were wounded – three children, one woman and two men”, local authorities said.
The governor of the Nuristan province said that 18 civilians and 20 policemen were killed in an air raid that took place on May 25.
“The police were mistakenly bombed and civilians were mistakenly thought to be Taliban fighters”, said Jamalddin Badar.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) announced it was aware of these assumptions, giving assurances that it will investigate them.
In the area of Lashkar Gah (Helmand), a leader of the Nawzad tribe said that 12 members of his family were killed in NATO air raids.
Civilian casualties are a sensitive topic in Afghanistan, where public opinion has deeply anti-Western sentiments after ten years of foreign military presence.