Wech Baghtu wedding party airstrike
Wech Baghtu wedding party airstrike | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The Wech Baghtu wedding party airstrike refers to the killing of about 37 Afghan civilians, mostly women and children, and injuring about 27 others by a United States military airstrike on 3 November 2008. The group was celebrating a wedding at a housing complex in the village of Wech Baghtu, a Taliban stronghold in the Shah Wali Kot District of Kandahar province, Afghanistan.[1][2][3][4][5]
The airstrike followed a firefight between US troops and Taliban forces stationed on a mountain behind the wedding party.[1][6][7][8] On 7 November 2008, Afghan officials said a joint investigation found that 37 civilians and 26 insurgents were killed in Wech Baghtu.[1] Wedding parties in Afghanistan are segregated by sex; of the civilians, 23 were children, 10 were women, and 4 were men. Another 27 persons were injured, including the bride.[7][9][10][11][12] The bombing destroyed the housing complex where women and children had gathered to celebrate.
On 5 November 2008, Afghan President Hamid Karzai responded by demanding that newly-elected US President Barack Obama end civilian deaths, stating, "Our demand is that there will be no civilian casualties in Afghanistan. We cannot win the fight against terrorism with airstrikes – this is my first demand of the new president of the United States – to put an end to civilian casualties."[13][14][15]
See also
[edit]- Haska Meyna wedding party airstrike
- Granai airstrike
- Azizabad airstrike
- Night raid on Narang
- Uruzgan helicopter attack
- Civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Canada. "Air strikes kill dozens of wedding guests". The Globe and Mail. Canada. Archived from the original on 3 February 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ "Karzai says air strike kills 40 in Afghanistan". Reuters. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ Wafa, Abdul Waheed; McDonald, Mark (5 November 2008). "Deadly U.S. airstrike said to hit Afghan wedding party". The New York Times.
- ^ "U.S. Strike Reportedly Kills 40 at Afghanistan Wedding". Fox News. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ Dromi, Shai M. (2020). Above the fray: The Red Cross and the making of the humanitarian NGO sector. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press. pp. vii–viii. ISBN 9780226680101.
- ^ "Afghanistan: US Missile Strike Kills 37 Civilians". HuffPost. 7 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ a b Yunlong, Zhang (5 November 2008). "Villagers say 37 Afghan civilians killed in US-led air strike on wedding party". RAWA News. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ "Deadly U.S. airstrike said to hit Afghan wedding party (Published 2008)". The New York Times. 5 November 2008. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ "Deaths in Afghanistan: Air Force Report Confirms Rising Civilian Toll". Spiegel. 13 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ Associated Press in Wech Baghtu (6 November 2008). "Alleged US air raid 'kills 37' at Afghan nuptials". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ "Afghanistan: U.S. Bombing Kills 37". CBS News. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ Farmer, Ben (5 November 2008). "US warplanes bomb wedding party, Afghans claim". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ "Karzai Demands Obama End Civilian Deaths". HuffPost. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ "Karzai to Obama: Stop killing Afghan civilians; U.S. airstrike reportedly kills 37 at wedding party". Cleveland Plain Dealer. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ^ "Karzai 'demands' Obama end civilian deaths after latest incident". USA Today. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
External links
[edit]- Reuters video U.S. strike kills wedding party goers -Afghan officials.[permanent dead link]
- Uncomfortable Others: Afghan Civilians Wounded by America Marc W. Herold
- Examples of the US ‘liberation’ of Afghanistan
- 2008 massacres of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Airstrikes during the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Attacks on weddings in Afghanistan
- Civilian casualties in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- History of Kandahar Province
- November 2008 events in Afghanistan
- Attacks in Afghanistan in 2008
- United States war crimes in Afghanistan