- ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (UPI)
- More than 80 people, all civilians, were killed and dozens injured Friday
when U.S. warplanes resumed bombing Khost and Sarkando, two southeastern
provinces of Afghanistan, in pursuit of Osama bin Laden and Taliban
fighters.
-
- The Khost bombing occurred while a pro-Karzai jirga
(assembly)
was in session.
-
- According to reports, about 60 people died when U.S.
planes bombed the Khost bazaar Friday morning as a tribal jirga was
finalizing
arrangements to attend the scheduled power-transition ceremony in Kabul
today.
-
- The victims included known elders of Khost, such as Haji
Abdul Rehman, Zawal Wali Murjan, his nephew Shah Khan, Aqif Khan Tani
Timoor
Shah and others.
-
- The U.S. warplanes resumed bombing the area after a lull
of several weeks. The jets pounded the venue for almost two hours.
-
- In the Sarkando area, at least 20 persons were killed
and dozens were injured during air strikes in Paktia province, which
witnesses
said, had fallen victim to a misinformation campaign unleashed by
anti-Taliban
elements.
-
- Informers Blamed
-
- "This is criminal on the part of the informers,
who misguided the Americans and caused the death of innocent
civilians,"
said Afghan elder Haji Amin Kochi in Pakistan's northwestern city of
Peshawar.
Some of Amin's close relatives were also killed.
-
- He said that these tribal leaders had assembled to form
a delegation to be sent to Kabul to show support for the new Afghan
government
led by Hamid Karzai. However, the enemies of peace, he said, misinformed
U.S. forces and gave the impression that the meeting was a pro-Taliban
gathering.
-
- Haji Amin said that according to the reports he received
from Khost, residents fled for safety, as prolonged bombing targeted
residential
areas.
-
- "No presence of Taliban can be proved in Khost and
Paktia to justify the bombing. And after all, the victims of the bombing
are civilians and not fighters from the Taliban movement or the al-Qaeda
network of Osama bin Laden," Haji Amin said.
-
- The brother of Haji Amin, Haji Naeen Kochay, was minister
for frontier regions in the Taliban regime.
-
- Copyright 2001 by United Press International.
All rights reserved.
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