NATO soldier killed in Afghan blast, Alarm over Afghan civilian deaths

Alarm over Afghan civilian deaths

9. July 2008, 12:17
BBC News -

At least 250 Afghan civilians have been killed or wounded in attacks or military action in the past six days, the Red Cross says. It has called on all parties to the conflict to avoid civilian casualties.

NATO said separately that more than 900 people including civilians had died in Afghanistan since the start of 2008.

On Monday a suicide bombing in Kabul killed more than 40 people, while officials say two coalition air strikes killed dozens at the weekend.

The issue of civilian casualties is hugely sensitive in Afghanistan.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly urged foreign forces to exercise more care.

'Constant care'

The statement released by the International Committee of the Red Cross say that civilians "must never be the target of an attack, unless they take a direct part in the fighting".

The organisation's chief representative in Kabul, Franz Rauchenstein, made his findings public following Monday's suicide car bomb attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul and reports that a US-led coalition air strike had killed members of a wedding party in the east of the country.

"We call on all parties to the conflict, in the conduct of their military operations, to distinguish at all times between civilians and fighters and to take constant care to spare civilians," Mr Rauchenstein said.

His report said that parties to the conflict "must take all necessary precautions to verify that targets are indeed military objectives and that attacks will not cause excessive civilian casualties and damage".

The statement also expressed concern "about the reportedly high number of civilian casualties resulting from the recent [coalition] air strikes in the east of the country".

The Taleban (Movement) has denied involvement in Monday's bombing, which killed 41 people, while the US-led coalition has disputed claims that its recent airstrikes killed civilians.

Mr Karzai has ordered an investigation into one of the bombings, in eastern Nangarhar province. Locals there said at least 20 people had been killed on Sunday at a wedding party.

US forces rejected the claims, saying those killed were (fghters) involved in previous mortar attacks on a Nato base.

The UN said recently that the number of civilians killed in fighting in Afghanistan had jumped by nearly two thirds compared to last year.

NATO soldier killed in Afghan blast

8. July 2008, 05:44
AFP -

A roadside bomb struck a NATO-led military convoy in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing an international soldier and wounding four others, the force said.

The blast struck a vehicle of the International Security Assistance Force in the eastern province of Kunar, ISAF officials in the province and in Kabul said.

The 40-nation ISAF would not immediately give details, including the nationalities of the soldiers caught up in the attack. Most of the troops in Kunar are US nationals.

Kunar, on the border with Pakistan, sees regular violence from Taliban and other (Afghani fighters) involved in an uprising against the Western-backed government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Afghani fighters widely use improvised bombs against Afghan security forces and the nearly 70,000 NATO- and US-led international soldiers backing them.

The latest death took to 119 the number of foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan this year, most of them in attacks. A Canadian soldier was killed in a bomb blast on an ISAF patrol in southern Afghanistan Monday.

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