Another NATO Strike Kills 14 Afghan Civilians in Khost

Second Incident of Civilian Killings in Khost in 3 Days

NATO air strikes in the Khost Province district of Shamal this morning killed at least 14 civilians including eight children. It was the second strike in the province this week, with a Tuesday attack killing as many as 11 other civilians.

NATO admitted to the first strike, but termed the slain “associated family members” of the Taliban they were trying to kill, and insisted some Taliban were killed. They have yet to comment on the new strike, though they did say they were investigating a third incident of civilian killings.

The third incident came Wednesday, when NATO air strikes killed a pair of young shepherds in the Ghazni Province. The provincial police chief confirmed that the deaths were the result of a NATO attack, but NATO insisted the attack had killed only one person, an insurgent.

The Khost killings sparked public protests with many hundreds of demonstrators taking part. The Karzai government has recently lashed NATO over civilian casualties, but has yet to respond to the latest incidents.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.