02.12 am, Wednesday March 17 2010

Afghan woman's death not by Diggers: ADF

16:04 AEST Sat Jul 4 2009
VIEWS: 0
| FLOCKS: 0
| comments0 comments so far

Defence says it's unlikely Australian troops were responsible for the death of a civilian woman during an operation in Afghanistan earlier this year.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is investigating claims Australian soldiers killed four men and wounded two others during a firefight in April.

But it is confident the Taliban were responsible for the death of a woman who was injured during the incident.

Director general of Military Strategic Commitments Brigadier Rick Burr told SBS the cause of her death was "inconclusive".

"It is most likely that this particular casualty was caused by the Taliban," he told the SBS Dateline program to be aired on Sunday.

Australian troops have been accused of killing a number of civilians during operations in the strife-torn country.

In September 2008, soldiers opened fire and killed important tribal leader and opponent of the Taliban, Rozi Khan.

Others include a six-month-old baby, a teenage girl, five children and two suspected suicide bombers later found to be unarmed.

The brother of one suspected suicide bomber, 24-year-old father of four Rahz Mohammad, says there is no excuse for such errors.

"How can we forgive them? They deliberately killed my brother, who hadn't threatened them or fired at them," the brother told Dateline.

Afghan parliamentarian Haji Abdul Khaliq also believes Australian Special Forces troops killed and maimed his relatives.

Mr Khaliq said the 2006 attack on his relative's car killed his brother-in-law Abdul Baqi, blinded his wife and badly injured his daughter, who later had her leg amputated.

His son and a niece and nephew were also injured.

"Members of my family ... were shot in their car by the Australians," he told SBS.

"Their (Australian) tanks were standing right on the hill ridge, the governor recognised them and so did the chief of police, they established they were Australians."

His claims have been assessed by the ADF which says there is no substance to them.

"The assessment found that there is no evidence ... that Australian Special Forces were involved in this incident," ADF chief Angus Houston told Dateline.

 
SHARE:
MESSENGER
FACEBOOK
MORE
Blog on Spaces
Add to delicious
Add to Digg
Share on MySpace
?
Share, bookmark, and save your favourite ninemsn articles and features.  Learn more.

Most popular

 Woman aims to become world's fattestAn obese mother in the US is trying to put on weight in order to become the world's fattest woman.
 Accused plastic surgeon deregisters selfA Melbourne plastic surgeon has chosen to deregister herself prior to a medical board hearing into allegations of botched surgery.
 Dramatica owner could face chargesThe US-based owner of a satirical Wikipedia-style website may be charged under Australian law over a deliberately offensive article about Aborigines.
 Teachers' racy Facebook photos spark probeEducation Queensland is investigating two female high school teachers who published scantily-clad photographs of themselves on Facebook.
 State of disaster declared in FijiFiji's government has declared a state of disaster in the cyclone-ravaged nation, amid reports of deaths after 17,000 people fled to evacuation centres.
 Disabled woman found tied to park benchA disabled woman found tied to a park bench in the middle of the night has told Melbourne police she was sexually assaulted.
 Inmate sleeps with five female prison staffA prisoner in the US has managed to seduce and have sex with five female prison employees while locked up in jail.
 Jail in lockdown after sex offender diesA jail west of Brisbane is in lockdown after a 42-year-old child sex offender was found dead in his cell.
 Plane hits, kills man along US beachA plane making an emergency landing has struck and killed a man who was walking or jogging along a South Carolina beach, an official says.
 Obama's Australian trip cut to 24 hoursUS President Barack Obama will confine his Australian visit to a 24-hour stopover in Canberra - and just for once, he might not be the main attraction in town.
Nine News presenter Wendy Kingston. (Nine News)Newsroom latest A quick hit of the top stories making news online today. 60 MinutesExotic petsAround 7000 tigers live in the backyards of everyday Americans. Eyewear is fashionable.Spec-tacularGlasses have become fashion accessories in the wardrobe. TODAYLust for lifeHow a little extra TLC can keep your love alive, literally. Michael Clarke and Lara Bingle last year. (AAP)Legally boundClarke, Bingle to be reunited in court over theft of Aston Martin. He Pingping. (AAP)Short lifeWorld's smallest man dies following television appearance.
advertisement
Rudd spanked Kevin Rudd's personal approval rating has dipped to its lowest level ... read more
Nip tuck duckMelbourne doctor deregisters self before 'botched surgery' hearings
You need the latest version of Flash Player.
Enjoy the most vivid content on the web
Watch video without extra features
Interact with applications on your favourite sites
Upgrade now

page complete
Other ninemsn businesses: iSelect RateCity
© 1997-2010 ninemsn Pty Ltd - All rights reserved