In memory of and sympathy for

Ahmaduddin’s brother, 30

Ahmaduddin’s son, 20

Ahmaduddin’s two nephews, 17-19

A woman wounded

in the evening of April 29, 2009 

in the Charkh district of Loar Province. We would not know about this were it not for the independent reporting of the Afghan Islamic Press (A.I.P) and Pajhwok Afghan News. The head of the Logar Provincial Council, Abdol Hakim Solaimankhel, told A.I.P. that foreign forces had attacked the home of a Taliban militant called Mullah Ahmaduddin in Charkh district, which resulted in 4 dead civilians. The killed were all members of a family from Shaikhan village.  The foreign occupation forces killed Ahmaduddin’s brother, 30, his son aged 22, two nephews aged 17 and 19, and wounded a woman. Ahmaduddin’s 20-yr-old son was a second year student in the Paktia education department. Abdol Kakim explained, “Ahmaduddin joined the Taliban militants nearly a month ago, but the rest of the family members are innocent civilians.” The foreign forces launched the assault just at the time when elders in Logar had decided to talk with the Taliban. The foreign attack disrupted the delicate negotiations.

Meanwhile, back in Kabul the foreign forces predictably proclaimed that Afghan and foreign forces backed by close air support launched an “anti-Taliban military operation” in the Charkh district in the night of April 29/30^th. They said the operation resulted in the death of 4 Taliban and the capture of another.

Killed in a foreign-led night-time ground attack