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U.S. military shoot, then rescue Afghan soldier
Fri Nov 7, 2008 4:28am EST
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By Jonathon Burch
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Abdul Matin was resting under a tree with seven fellow Afghan soldiers this week when three U.S. helicopters opened fire.
Matin was shot in the abdomen, one arm and both legs. He is lucky to be alive. Four other soldiers were also wounded.
Scores of Afghan civilians have been killed in air strikes by international troops in Afghanistan this year, Afghan officials say, feeding a perception that NATO-led and U.S. coalition forces do not take enough care when using air strikes.
Though it is rare for foreign troops to hit their Afghan army allies, the latest incident is the second reported case of friendly fire in less than two weeks. Foreign troops killed nine Afghan soldiers in an air strike in the southeast last month.
"We had been on patrol and were coming back to our base. I said to my friend, 'let's go fetch some water', because we were thirsty," Matin told Reuters.
The soldiers set off on Sunday to collect water some 500 meters (yards) from their base in northeastern Kunar province, a hotbed for insurgents near the Pakistan border.
"On the way, three helicopters passed overhead. We were a little tired so we sat down under a tree. When the helicopters saw us, they started shooting at us," Matin said.
"One of my friends became angry and shouted, 'I want to shoot at the helicopters', but I said, 'No! If you shoot, maybe they will start firing at us again'," he said. The soldiers then radioed their commander, who managed to stop the attack.
The Defense Ministry condemned the attack, saying such incidents would weaken the spirit of the Afghan army, which is trained mostly by U.S. troops.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) issued a statement the same day. "ISAF troops fired on what they suspected were anti-Afghan Forces within the area," it said.
ISAF launched an investigation to determine why the attack took place and how future incidents can be prevented, the alliance said. U.S. troops make up ISAF forces in Kunar.
An ISAF spokeswoman could not provide any further details regarding Sunday's incident but said the results would be released when the investigation was completed.
"WHO IS THE ENEMY?"
Matin, 25, lost his job as a carpenter and joined the army nine months ago, for the same reason as many other young Afghans.
"There was no work so I joined the army," Matin said. Continued...
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