NATO airstrike kills insurgents, possibly civilians, in Afghanistan

[xchrom]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/08/us-afghanistan-civilians-kunar-idUSBRE98704820130908

(Reuters) - A NATO airstrike targeting insurgents in Afghanistan's lawless east hit a pickup truck carrying up to ten militants, officials said on Sunday, amid reports that at least eight civilians, including seven women and children, were also among the dead.

Civilian deaths have been a long-running source of friction between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his international backers. Karzai has forbidden Afghan troops from calling for foreign air strikes, though that ban is not always adhered to, and NATO advises crews not to fire at or bomb populated areas.

"We can confirm that we undertook a precision strike in Watarpur district of Kunar, and are able to confirm 10 enemy forces killed," a spokeswoman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), First Lieutenant AnnMarie Annicelli, said.

Watarpur is a rural district in the north of Kunar, a mountainous province that shares a long and porous border with lawless tribal areas of Pakistan. The province has long been considered a transit hub for foreign insurgents, including al Qaeda members, who fight alongside the Taliban.

[cali]

1. Afghan Official: Women and children killed by NATO strike

Provincial Afghan officials say an apparent NATO airstrike has killed at least nine civilians.

The police chief of eastern Kunar province said Sunday women and children were among the victims in the strike late Saturday.

Another local official said at least 15 people were killed, including insurgents and civilians.

NATO officials dispute the accounts, saying they have no reports of civilian deaths, and that a precision strike killed 10 militants.

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http://www.voanews.com/content/afghan-official-nato-airstrike-kills-9-civilians/1745456.html

[David__77]

2. Speaking of "foreign fighters" generally...

I would be very interested in seeing some estimates of the number of traveling fighters by country of origin. I mean, what percent are from Saudi Arabia, from Egypt, from Algeria, and so on. From a national security standpoint, this would be useful information. It is not a random phenomenon at all, of course.