July 31, 2010


Kabul - An Afghan civilian was killed as he was trying to approach a NATO military base in southern Afghanistan, the alliance said Saturday.

Troops had chased off a group of insurgents after an armed clash when a man ran towards their base, NATO said.

"Coalition forces attempted to get the man to stop, however the attempts failed and coalition forces engaged him," it said.

"First-aid was rendered immediately, however, unfortunately the individual died of his wounds."

Afghan civilians have borne the brunt of nine years of war.

More than 2,400 civilians were killed last year, while over 1,000 lost their lives in the first six months of this year, according to United Nations and human rights groups.

The office of the governor of Kandahar said Saturday that four Taliban insurgents were killed in a clash in Panjwayi district.

It was not immediately known if that was referring to the same incident as the NATO statement.

In the northern province of Kunduz, five Taliban militants were killed and seven others were injured in a joint operation conduced by Afghan and US forces, Mohammad Omar, the provincial governor, said.

Four US soldiers were injured in the operation that began in Bagh-e-Sherkat area of Kunduz city on Thursday, NATO said.

Copyright DPA