Local police are confirming that a NATO-led night raid against the Logar Province left at least five civilians, including four children dead, and a number of others wounded.
Logar official Rais Seddiq confirmed that two of the slain civilians were killed immediately, and that three others died of their wounds in the hospital. The confirmation sparked an angry reaction from the Afghan Defense Ministry.
“All those killed were armed,” the ministry insisted, following up on the previous report that claimed 23 “Taliban” were killed and no civilians. The Taliban had insisted they only lost 12 members, but also reported civilian bystanders were killed in the attack.
Night raids have been hugely controversial in Afghanistan, with the Karzai government repeatedly attempting to ban them entirely, and NATO repeatedly claiming the reports of civilian deaths are overstated. The incident today may point to a split between Karzai and the defense ministry.
