Irish Sun
First published 1880 Friday 3rd September 2010 Issue 0246/8
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    Karzai sacks army commanders over civilian deaths
    Irish Sun
    Sunday 24th August, 2008  


    Afghan President Hamid Karzai has fired two senior army commanders over an air strike that he says killed 89 civilians in a remote village in western Afghanistan.

    The president issued a decree Sunday dismissing the top army general for western Afghanistan, General Jalandar Shah Behnam, and a commando major, Abdul Jabar, for negligence and concealing facts about Friday's air strike in Herat province.

    President Kazai described the joint U.S.-Afghan air strike as "irresponsible and imprecise."

    U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan give a lower death toll for the air strike, saying 25 militants and five civilians were killed in an attack on Taliban targets in Herat's Shindand district.

    The Afghan Defense Ministry says the raid killed its main target, Taliban commander Mullah Siddiq.

    Civilian casualties have been a major source of tension between Mr. Karzai and international forces battling Taliban insurgents.

    President Karzai sent a team to Herat province to survey the damage. He said his government also will be announcing initiatives to prevent civilian deaths.

    Earlier Sunday, a helicopter chartered by NATO crashed in the eastern province of Kunar, killing at least one person and injuring three others.

    NATO said a technical problem likely made the transport helicopter crash shortly after takeoff from a military base. The Taliban said it shot down the helicopter.

    Neither claim has been independently verified.

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    Comments on this story

    By Amanullah, 08-25-08, 03:37 PM

    Replace NATO and US

    US and NATO forces should be replaced with security forces from neutral Islamic countries until elections are held. The West should help rebuild Afghanistan, no longer destroy it, then may be we can have peace and every body go home.
    By eklabya, 08-25-08, 05:40 AM

    See Russians.

    Sonner or later the Afghans will kick Americans and their Vassal forces out of Afghanistan. The American leaders must prepare thier people for this eventuality now.
    By Anonymous, 08-24-08, 11:13 PM

    Everyone is an expert

    It is a difficult job that Karzi has. Especially when people do not tell him the truth.. Karzi is doing the right thing.. Facing the truth and getting rid of those that try to lie
    By Anonymous, 08-24-08, 10:39 PM

    Karzai sacks army commanders over civilian deaths

    Karzi should be sacked !!Karzi wants his cake and eat it to !! If taliban are invited to a home, they are Taliban !! Birds of a Feather Flock Together !! Karzi does not have the GUTS to Confront the Taliban !!!
    By Anonymous, 08-25-08, 01:37 AM
    This is all crud!!!! Ofcourse civillian deaths are terrible, but also unavoidable in many cases, the “foreign” troops here are taking the “hot coals” out of the fire, while the Afghanis are cultivating their “flat arses”? If all Allied troops would leave Afghanistan, the Taliban would be back in power within a couple of weeks, probably less!
    By ;) Midnight, 08-25-08, 03:35 PM
    A better question might be will Karzai find an opponent or friend in Zadari now, is it vengeance or common sense that tells him the Taliban has taken the upper hand and freeze what assets? It’s true.
    By angel, 08-25-08, 07:13 PM

    i can't believe it

    this would not be happenig if the war had never started, no one would be dying

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