Taliban vows 'serious revenge' over Afghan airstrike
The Taliban has vowed to ‘take serious revenge’ after an Afghan airstrike in an area controlled by the militant group killed or wounded dozens of people, many of them children.
The government and military have said the Afghan Air Force (AAF) hit a Taliban base in the northeastern province of Kunduz on 2 April where senior commanders were meeting to plan attacks.
But Afghan security sources and witnesses have told AFP that AAF helicopters struck a madrassa in Dashte Archi district where a graduation ceremony for religious students was under way.
At least 59 people were killed, including Taliban commanders, according to security sources. Health officials said at least 57 wounded were taken to hospital in the provincial capital Kunduz.
The Taliban issued a statement late on 4 April saying it ‘condemns in the strongest terms this major crime and vows to take serious revenge against the perpetrators’.
An AFP photographer was among the first journalists to visit the scene of the airstrike on 4 April after receiving permission from the Taliban. It is deep inside Taliban-controlled territory and normally inaccessible to the media.
The madrassa and mosque appeared to be undamaged. But in a field adjacent to the religious compound, where the graduation ceremony was purportedly held, AFP saw a hole in the ground that locals said was made by a rocket, though that could not be verified.
AFP also saw large piles of hats, turbans and shoes that were said to belong to the victims of the airstrike. At least half a dozen freshly dug graves could be seen nearby.
Abdullah, 40, who lives near the compound housing the madrassa and mosque and was invited to attend as a member of the local community, told AFP that he saw the airstrike happen.
Abdullah said: ‘We were about to finish the ceremony at 1:00 pm when (Afghan military) aircraft bombarded innocent children.
‘People were panicked. Children and elders were also wounded in the bombardment.’
Government officials in both Kabul and Kunduz have given conflicting figures for the number of casualties, with some denying any civilians had been killed or that a madrassa had been hit.
Afghan officials have been known to minimise civilian casualties.
The Afghan military initially denied civilians were among the dead and wounded, but later blamed the Taliban for shooting them.
It said 18 Taliban commanders were killed and 12 were wounded in the airstrike. But Naim Mangal, a doctor at the hospital where most of the wounded were taken, told AFP that ‘all the victims’ had been ‘hit by pieces of bomb, shrapnel’.
More from Defence Notes
-
US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness
The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.
-
Can the US overcome Russian and Chinese nuclear capabilities?
Washington’s ageing inventory and the pace Moscow and Beijing have been modernising their capabilities put in check the US Nuclear deterrence.
-
US FY2024 funding package passes as China closes military capability gap
The Pentagon has been operating under temporary funding since October 2023, which has impacted its main acquisition and development programmes, increasing the capability gap between the US and China.
-
NATO outlines future challenges as Ukrainian funding from US stalls
In 2023, defence spending increased by an unprecedented 11% across European NATO countries and Canada. Since 2014, the group has spent an additional US$600 billion on defence.
-
US Pentagon to reduce investments in main acquisition programmes over FY2025
The DoD requested nearly US$850 billion to fund operations over the next fiscal year. Despite the amount being 1% higher than the FY2024 budget request, it has not covered the 3% inflation rate, which could impact the DoD’s main programmes in the medium and long term.