Taliban, human shields killed in Afghan strike

AP/Houston Chronicle:

Airstrikes targeting two militant leaders in eastern Afghanistan killed 31 people early today, including several civilians, officials said.

Most of the 31 killed were militants, said Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary. But Khalid Farooqi, a lawmaker from Paktika, said at least nine civilians died.

The U.S.-led coalition said four civilians were killed — three women and a boy. The U.S. also said "several militants" were killed and that 12 were detained in the operation in Paktika' province's Mata Khan district.

"Any loss of non-combatant life is certainly tragic, however, the blood is on the hands of the militants who choose to fire on coalition forces from these areas with their families present," said Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green, the top U.S. military spokeswoman in Afghanistan.

It was impossible to verify the claims of numbers killed at the remote and dangerous battle site.

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I am always suspicious of claims of civilian casualties in these engagements because the enemy camouflages himself as a civilian and uses human shields. Both are war crimes, but are rarely reported as such. These war crimes endanger all civilians. If enemy forces attack our forces with their families next to them, they obviously do not care about their safety.