World | Afghanistan
US troops kill 3 militants in overnight Afghan raid
US troops and Afghan police killed three militants in an overnight raid on a compound housing people with Al Qaida links in eastern Afghanistan, the US military said Wednesday.
- AP
- Published: 11:22 December 17, 2008
Kabul: US troops and Afghan police killed three militants in an overnight raid on a compound housing people with Al Qaida links in eastern Afghanistan, the US military said Wednesday.
People who were in the compound said the dead were civilians and that none of them had fired on the troops, according to Jahangir Pashtun, a spokesman for the governor's office of Khost province. These witnesses told Pashtun that the US troops opened fire on the compound.
US military spokesman Col. Gregory Julian said the three people killed, one of them a woman, had been specifically targeted as "known individuals with Al Qaida links." He said two of them fired directly on the troops and another attempted to fire.
"These were known insurgents and they had weapons and they attempted to engage us and we beat them to it," Julian said. He said others were detained, including one person "believed to be in direct contact with Al Qaida leaders outside of Afghanistan."
The aim of the raid had been to capture the targeted people, Julian said.
The incident occurred in Khost city, the province capital. At least one other woman was wounded and taken to a coalition medical facility.
Afghanistan
French president in Afghanistan talks of pullout
Two foreign doctors abducted
US ambassador to Kabul to quit, embassy says
Afghan troops complain about obsolete gear
Top Afghan peace negotiator killed
Procurement switch puts boot into Afghan dream
US struck secret deal with Taliban
Soldiers take dogs back home to bust stress
More from World
News Editor's choice
-
Kuwait condemns Houla massacre
Arab League urged to put end to oppression of Syrian people
-
Road crashes main cause of child death in UAE
Death rate among children in car accidents in the UAE is three times higher than global average
-
Last minute ID rush is on
Expatriates in Dubai have thronged typing centres and Emirates ID registration offices to meet the May 31 registration deadline
