(AKI) - Afghanistan on Friday condemned the killing of civilians in a raid conducted by Australian soldiers without any local forces in the south of the country. The Australian defence ministry said five children had been killed in a shootout between Taliban insurgents and Australian Special Forces in southern Uruzgan province on Thursday, where soldiers were "clearing" a number of compounds.
The Afghan defence ministry said one woman and two children were killed and eight other people were wounded in the attack.
"The defense ministry condemns the martyring of one woman and two children and the wounding of eight others ... in an operation by international forces ... and asks international forces not to conduct operations without the coordination of Afghan forces," the ministry said in a statement.
The commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) under which Australian troops operate issued a directive last September saying soldiers should not enter an Afghan house or mosque uninvited without having the lead from the Afghan army unless troops were in "clear danger". |