Afghans, in Hospital, Dispute U.S. Account of Raid

MEHTARLAM, Afghanistan — The American military declared the nighttime raid this month a success, saying it killed 32 people, all Taliban insurgents — the fruit of an emphasis on intelligence-driven use of Special Forces. But the two young men who lay wincing in a hospital ward here told a different story in mid-January, one backed up by the pro-American provincial governor and a central government delegation.

They agreed that 13 civilians had been killed and 9 wounded when American commandos broke down doors and unleashed dogs without warning on Jan. 7 in the hunt for a known insurgent in Masamut, in Laghman Province in eastern Afghanistan. The residents were so enraged that they threatened to march on the American military base here.


According to several villagers, the nighttime raid stirred alarm and confusion as people were roused from their sleep.

One of the first to be shot and killed was a man called Qasem, a member of the Afghan Border Police who was at home on leave. His brother, Wazarat Khan, said Qasem was killed as soon as he looked out his front door.

“We did not think they were Americans; we thought they were thieves,” he said. “They killed my brother right in the doorway . . .”


read: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/world/asia/26afghan.html?ref=world

'right' ones. How realistic is that?

They were all terrorists, you know. That's why their homes got raided, duh!

. . . in-country makes them 'insurgent'