Violent demonstration in Afghanistan against military raid

Hundreds of tribesmen gathered Sunday in Puli Alam, the capital of Afghanistan’s Logar province, to protest the deaths of three men in an overnight military raid against compound that they say were civilians. An angry mob torched 15 giant fuel tankers that were passing by.

File photo: Reuters

Provincial police chief Colonel Ghulam Mustafa told the AFP news agency that US and Afghan troops raided a compound overnight and killed three suspected insurgents.

Nato's International Security Assistance Force said a patrol had entered a compound in Nagar village and "captured a Taliban sub-commander and killed several insurgents".

A statement said that troops were “confronted by armed individuals” who were shot and killed when they “displayed hostile intent”.

Mustafa said during Sunday’s demonstrations rockets had been fired from the crowd at the fuel tankers.

“The enemy was among the crowd," he said, referring to insurgents. "A rocket fired from the crowd caused the fire in the fuel tanker convoy. They were heading up east, supplying foreign forces.”

Three people in the crowd were injured, according to Mustafa. The Tolo television station quoted witnesses saying the injured were students.

Civilian deaths in Afghanistan are often blamed on foreign troops, though the UN said in a report earlier this year that most were caused by Taliban attacks.