KABUL, 22 May 2004 — Three Afghan civilians were killed and two wounded in a predawn swoop by US helicopter gunships in Afghanistan’s southeastern province of Khost yesterday, angry villagers said.
The attack in Tani village to the south of Khost town came after a patrol of US soldiers was fired at, Khost’s Mayor Jalil Ahmad Hasani told Reuters. US patrols often call in close air support when they come under fire.
“The report we have indicates that three civilians, including two women, have been killed in the aerial bombardment and several others wounded,” he said.
Villagers at the scene said no US patrol had been fired on, adding that Afghans had wrongly identified the house to the Americans as a hide-out for Al-Qaeda or Taleban. “The Americans acted on wrong information and bombed our village,” said Ayoub, whose father was wounded. “We had a family feud and I think the Americans have taken the other side’s word for it that Taleban people were hiding here.”
Residents confirmed that three people, including two women, were killed when their house came under fire from four helicopter gunships, and two people were wounded in the same neighborhood.
Residents were clearing away the rubble caused by the bombing; a two-story mud house was riddled with shell marks. A US military spokeswoman in Kabul said she was unaware of the incident.
