KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, 4 August 2007 — An airstrike on a large Taleban gathering killed dozens of rebels, the Defense Ministry said yesterday, with at least 30 civilians wounded and unconfirmed reports of many more killed. The US-led coalition forces said they had conducted a “precision airstrike” against two notorious Taleban commanders meeting in the rebel-controlled and remote area of Baghran district in the southern province of Helmand.
The Afghan Defense Ministry said the gathering was to execute four people on charges of cooperating with the government and had attracted several militant leaders including top Taleban military commander Mansour Dadullah. “In an aerial operation, tens of terrorists were killed. The bodies of Taleban leaders ... and tens of other terrorists are on the spot and have been identified,” he said.
Azimi said officials were trying to confirm if Dadullah, who replaced his notorious brother — top commander Mullah Dadullah — after he was killed this year, was among the dead. “The process of identifying the eliminated terrorists is still ongoing,” he told AFP.
There were claims of around 200 civilians also killed or wounded in the attack. “We are investigating the claims of civilians casualties. So far only some wounded have been transferred to hospitals. We doubt the presence of civilians in such gatherings,” he said.
