Afghan district residents threaten government to shift loyalities to Afghan Taliban

KABUL – Thousands of residents of Dasht e Archi area in the kunduz provincehave marched towards the capital and said that the entire area will pledgesupport to Afghan Taliban if government did not investigate the Monday’sairstrike in Dasht-e-Archi of Kunduz province, Ariana News has reported.

On the other hand* Afghan Defense Ministry says Monday’s attack by thegovernment air force on a Taliban meeting in Dasht-i-Archi district ofKunduz province, killed senior commanders of the group including QuettaShura member Mawlavi Baryal.*

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry’s DeputySpokesman Mohammad Radmanish said that the Afghan Air Force did not targetcivilians but had targeted a gathering of Taliban members and theircommanders in Kunduz airstrike.

He said the Taliban opened fire on Afghan air force helicopters and then oncivilians after the airstrike.

At the press conference, Radmanish also showed photographs and aerialfootage of the targeted area. He said the people photographed were Talibanleaders and fighters and had been filmed while coming together to planattacks against the Afghan army troops in the province.

According to the Defense Ministry, the airstrike which took place on Mondayat around 11:00 am in a Taliban-controlled area, killed at least 18 of thegroup’s commanders, including a Quetta Shura member Mawlavi Baryal.

“Yesterday’s raid on the Taliban stronghold, has claim lives of somechildren [as well] and I offer condolences to their families,” ChiefExecutive Abdullah Abdullah said.

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said it wasinvestigating the incident amid reports of civilian casualties.

“UNAMA actively looking into disturbing reports of serious harm tocivilians yesterday from airstrike at DashtiArchi, Kunduz. Human Rightsteam on ground establishing facts. All parties reminded of obligations toprotect civilians from impact of armed conflict,” UN tweeted.

The President’s office, meanwhile in a statement on Tuesday said that ithas appointed a task team to investigate the killings.