U.S., NATO kill over 90 civilians in Afghanistan

According to local police, a NATO air strike left at least 25 civilians dead in Afghanistan’s Helmand province on June 22.

The dead included three infants and nine women. Additional civilian casualties may be unaccounted for. A total of 90 civilians were killed by U.S.- or NATO-led forces from June 13-23.

Military officers blamed the deaths on “insurgents,” claiming they were simply responding to enemy fire. Not only is their claim unverified, but the imperialist line implies that foreign invaders have an inviolable right to respond with unmeasured violence against any resistance to occupation.

According to AP tally based on reports from Afghan and foreign officials and witnesses, U.S. or NATO forces have killed at least 203 civilians so far this year—a figure that does not include many more unreported deaths. The United States and NATO have no civilian casualty figures.