Afghan probe into NATO airstrike clears German Army
September 11th, 2009 - 9:52 pm ICT by IANS
Kabul, Sep 11 (DPA) The commission appointed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai to investigate last week’s NATO airstrike on two fuel tankers that claimed dozens of Taliban and civilian lives has exonerated the German Army, which ordered the strike, a German television station reported Friday.
Civilians were indeed among the victims, but responsibility for the incident lies with the Taliban, ARD television reported, citing investigators in the commission.
Members of the panel had returned to Kabul from the northern province of Kunduz, where the Sep 4 airstrike occurred, and planned to present their report Saturday to Karzai.
The Afghan investigators told the ARD that the Taliban had hijacked the two fuel trucks, which became stuck in the Kunduz River, causing militants and civilians to gather around them to remove their fuel, which is when the airstrike was carried out.
The German military said 56 Taliban militants died while the governor of the district where the bombing took place said 130 people were killed, including civilians.
The German military was cleared because the attack was carried out at the river and not in a village, the investigators were quoted as saying by ARD.
The Afghan investigators did not give a death toll.
A separate investigation is being conducted into the airstrike by NATO.
- 90 Afghans dead as NATO airstrike hits hijacked fuel trucks (Third Lead) - Sep 04, 2009
- Top NATO commander visits site of Afghan air strike - Sep 06, 2009
- Four Taliban killed in Afghanistan - Oct 08, 2011
- NATO apologizes for airstrike which killed Afghan women, children - May 30, 2011
- Suicide bombing injures three German soldiers in Afghanistan - Sep 05, 2009
- 16 foreign troops killed in single day in Afghanistan - Oct 29, 2011
- 90 dead in Afghan explosion as Taliban distributes fuel (Second Lead) - Sep 04, 2009
- Military says probe into NATO airstrike will take 'several weeks' - Sep 08, 2009
- Air strike on hijacked tankers kills 90 in Afghanistan - Sep 04, 2009
- 27 militants killed in Afghanistan - Nov 17, 2011
- Blasts kill 10 civilians in Afghanistan (Lead) - Feb 23, 2010
- 16 killed in Afghan blast, air attack - Sep 13, 2010
- 90 dead in Afghan explosion - Sep 04, 2009
- 24 dead in Afghan poll violence - Sep 18, 2010
- NATO airstrike kills 25 Taliban in Afghanistan (Lead) - May 29, 2010
Tags: afghan president hamid karzai, airstrike, ard television, civilians, commission members, death toll, fuel tankers, fuel trucks, german army, german military, german television, hamid karzai, kabul, kunduz, militants, northern province, president hamid karzai, sep 11, taliban, television station