The Wech Baghtu wedding party airstrike refers to the killing of about 37 Afghan civilians, mostly women and children, and injuring about 27 others by a United States military airstrike on 3 November 2008. The group was celebrating a wedding at a housing complex in the village of Wech Baghtu, a Taliban stronghold in the Shah Wali Kot District of Kandahar province, Afghanistan.[1][2][3][4][5]

The airstrike followed a firefight between US troops and Taliban forces stationed on a mountain behind the wedding party.[1][6][7][8] On 7 November 2008, Afghan officials said a joint investigation found that 37 civilians and 26 insurgents were killed in Wech Baghtu.[1] Wedding parties in Afghanistan are segregated by sex; of the civilians, 23 were children, 10 were women, and 4 were men. Another 27 persons were injured, including the bride.[7][9][10][11][12] The bombing destroyed the housing complex where women and children had gathered to celebrate.

On 5 November 2008, Afghan President Hamid Karzai responded by demanding that newly-elected US President Barack Obama end civilian deaths, stating, "Our demand is that there will be no civilian casualties in Afghanistan. We cannot win the fight against terrorism with airstrikes – this is my first demand of the new president of the United States – to put an end to civilian casualties."[13][14][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Canada. "Air strikes kill dozens of wedding guests". The Globe and Mail. Canada. Archived from the original on 3 February 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  2. ^ "Karzai says air strike kills 40 in Afghanistan". Reuters. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  3. ^ Wafa, Abdul Waheed; McDonald, Mark (5 November 2008). "Deadly U.S. airstrike said to hit Afghan wedding party". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "U.S. Strike Reportedly Kills 40 at Afghanistan Wedding". Fox News. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  5. ^ Dromi, Shai M. (2020). Above the fray: The Red Cross and the making of the humanitarian NGO sector. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press. pp. vii–viii. ISBN 9780226680101.
  6. ^ "Afghanistan: US Missile Strike Kills 37 Civilians". HuffPost. 7 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  7. ^ a b Yunlong, Zhang (5 November 2008). "Villagers say 37 Afghan civilians killed in US-led air strike on wedding party". RAWA News. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  8. ^ "Deadly U.S. airstrike said to hit Afghan wedding party (Published 2008)". The New York Times. 5 November 2008. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Deaths in Afghanistan: Air Force Report Confirms Rising Civilian Toll". Spiegel. 13 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  10. ^ Associated Press in Wech Baghtu (6 November 2008). "Alleged US air raid 'kills 37' at Afghan nuptials". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  11. ^ "Afghanistan: U.S. Bombing Kills 37". CBS News. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  12. ^ Farmer, Ben (5 November 2008). "US warplanes bomb wedding party, Afghans claim". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  13. ^ "Karzai Demands Obama End Civilian Deaths". HuffPost. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  14. ^ "Karzai to Obama: Stop killing Afghan civilians; U.S. airstrike reportedly kills 37 at wedding party". Cleveland Plain Dealer. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  15. ^ "Karzai 'demands' Obama end civilian deaths after latest incident". USA Today. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.

External links