Locals Claim Afghan Troops Killed Civilians Outside of Kabul

Residents in the town of Paghman, just outside the Afghan capital of Kabul, are protesting after an overnight raid by government forces, in which they say the troops attacked a shop and killed three brothers.

The residents are blocking the major highway Kabul-Maidan Shahr, and say they will continue until the government meets the demands of the relatives of the victims. Details aren’t clear, but it is not uncommon for relatives to expect blood money for wrongful killings. Though in grievous cases this money can be substantial, it is often more about the admission of guilt and contrition than anything else.

District officials in Paghman were also deeply critical of the incident, faulting the lack of coordination by the central government with the locals, and urging them to pay attention to the demands of the victims’ relatives.

The central government is not responding, which is unusual, as generally they will claim anyone killed in a raid was a Taliban fighter, whether they were or obviously were not, and will stick to that in public even in the face of a backlash.