British Troops Accused of Executing Four Afghan Teenagers

The Afghans were all young boys, civilians, drinking tea when British troops shot and killed them

by John Glaser, December 04, 2012

Britain has launched an inquiry into claims that in October British forces in Afghanistan shot and killed a 12-year old boy and three young teenagers as they were drinking tea, all civilians, in an execution-style killing.

In a letter sent to Britain’s defense secretary Philip Hammond, lawyers acting for relatives of two of the four killed said, ”The four boys killed all appear to have been deliberately targeted at close range by British forces. All were killed in a residential area over which UK forces clearly had the requisite degree of control and authority.”

No investigation was ever launched into this incident. NATO spokesman Major Adam Wojack confirmed an operation occurred at the alleged time and place, but claimed the only result was the “killing of four Taliban enemies in action,” a claim that is rejected by relatives of the victims.

“The soldiers walked through the village calling at various houses asking to be told where the claimant’s brother Fazel Mohammed lived”, says lawyer’s statement. “It is alleged that the soldiers entered the house of a neighbour dragged him from his bed, hooded him and his son and beat them until under questioning they showed the soldiers the house of Fazel which was across the street.”

According to the letter sent to Hammond, the families and neighbors “reject outright any suggestion that any of the four teenagers killed were in any way connected to the insurgency. All four were innocent teenagers who posed no threat whatsoever to Afghan or British forces.”

Last 5 posts by John Glaser