Dozens of people in northwestern Afghanistan protested on Monday against civilian deaths in fighting between government forces and insurgents, while roadside bombs killed four troops from the NATO-led force.
Residents of northwestern Badghis Province’s Bala Murghab district said six civilians, including women and children, were killed during a firefight between Afghan and Taliban forces but local authorities blamed elders for helping a Taliban ambush.
Badghis Province Deputy Governor Abdul Ghani Saberi said only two civilians died, but added that local collusion with the insurgents made it hard for security forces to avoid innocent deaths during firefights.
“We know that two people including a woman were killed,” he said. “We ask the people not to shelter the Taliban.”
For example, local elders invited the government to attend peace talks but, when a team arrived, they were led into an ambush that ended with the death of nine soldiers and some 30 insurgents, Saberi said.
Local residents say they are not colluding with the Taliban for ideological reasons, they are just trapped between two sides and trying to survive in a warzone.
“The government arrest and beat shopkeepers for selling groceries to the Taliban, but we are victimised by both sides,” Haji Mohammad Shah said.
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