2 NATO Swedish Soldiers, 16 Taliban Fighters, 7 Civilians Killed in Afghanistan War Attacks, February 7, 2010

2 NATO Swedish Soldiers, 16 Taliban Fighters, 7 Civilians Killed in Afghanistan War Attacks

February 7, 2010

Editor's Note:

The following news reports represent only NATO countries' media stories. The Taliban website (alemarah.info) is offline, making news stories one-sided. Claims about killing Taliban casualties could therefore not be verified independently.

Afghan border patrol kills seven civilians: police

AFP, Saturday, February 6 08:19 am

An Afghan police patrol killed seven civilians after mistaking them for Taliban fighters as they gathered firewood at dusk close to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, police said Saturday.

Two of the seven, killed on Thursday evening in the Raig area between Shorabak and Spin Boldak districts, in southern Kandahar province, were younger than 18, said southern border police commander General Mohammad Raziq.

The six-member police team on patrol at the time had been detained, he said.

"We are questioning the border police members behind the shooting and the investigation will determine if it was intentional," he told AFP.

Civilian deaths in the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan hit a record last year, with most killed by insurgents, according to the United Nations.

In a report last month the UN said 2,412 civilians were killed in 2009, compared with 2,118 the year before, with almost 70 percent the victims of Taliban attacks, including suicide bombings and roadside bombs.

The Taliban blames civilian deaths on the international and Afghan forces, and many Afghans say that civilian deaths would not occur if their country was not host to more than 100,000 foreign troops.

Kandahar is a significant target for Taliban rebels, who made it the country's capital during their 1996-2001 rule, until they were ousted by a US-led invasion following the Al-Qaeda attacks on the United States.

The city has been the scene of some major insurgent attacks, most notably in August when a truck bomb killed 40 people and injured at least 65.

Sixteen Taliban killed in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 6, 2010 (UPI) --

At least 16 Taliban fighters were killed during a push by U.S. and British forces into southern Afghanistan, NATO officials said Saturday.

The Taliban were killed as they fought back against NATO-led forces clearing land mines from around Babji village in Helmand province, CNN reported.

In Kandahar province, six police officers were detained after allegedly admitting they fatally shot seven civilians near the Afghan-Pakistan border in the Spin Boldak area, Gen. Mohammad Raziq Kandahar, head of Kandahar's border authorities, said Saturday.

The civilians, who were collecting firewood, were mistaken for militants, Kandahar said.

Earlier this week, 32 Taliban were killed by NATO-led forces in Helmand, while a suicide bomber in Kandahar city killed two civilians and wounded at least a dozen more, CNN reported.

Three killed in Afghanistan attack

Published: Feb. 7, 2010 at 2:02 PM

MAZAR-E SHARIF, Afghanistan (UPI) --

Three people, including two Swedish military officers, were killed in an ambush Sunday near Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan, the Swedish military says.

The Swedish news agency TT said the Swedish captain and lieutenant were killed along with an interpreter when gunmen ambushed them. A third Swedish soldier was injured in the attack, which occurred west of a Swedish army base.

Specific details regarding the ambush, including the names of the deceased, were not released.

The area in which the deadly attack took place was the site of a major drug seizure days ago. TT said 154 pounds of narcotics and an unspecified amount of explosives were seized by Swedish and Finnish peacekeepers in the area.

The same area also hosted a roadside bombing in November 2009 in which five Swedish soldiers were injured, TT reported.

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