Governor says airstrikes kill 22 civilians; military denies civilians hurt

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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SHOTLIST 1. Wide of street scene 2. Mid shot of hospital board 3. Various of wounded in hospital ward 4. Close up of wounded knee 5. SOUNDBITE (Pashto) Abdul Fahim, injured in the airstrike: "We were driving in vehicles when the helicopters came and bombed us, most of the people in the vehicles were killed and some were wounded. Reporter question: "How many vehicles were there?" "We were driving in two vehicles." 6. Various of wounded in hospital 7. SOUNDBITE (Pashto) Sayed Manan, relative of one of those injured in the airstrike: "There were not any Taliban or any enemy when they (the Americans) bombarded. Around 25 people were driving in these vehicles only three were wounded and the rest were dead." 8. Mid of wounded civilian talking with relative STORYLINE The US military said airstrikes by its attack helicopters hit two vehicles carrying insurgents on Friday in eastern Afghanistan. The province's governor said 22 civilians, including a woman and a child, were killed. First Lieutenant Nathan Perry, a spokesman for the US-led coalition, said the airstrikes in Nuristan province hit militants who had earlier attacked a US military base with mortars. He said he had no report of noncombatant injuries. The helicopters identified the militants' firing positions, tracked them down and destroyed the vehicles that they were travelling in, he said. Nuristan's Governor Tamim Nuristani said, however, that 22 civilians were killed in the airstrike in the Waygal district of Nuristan province. Two civilian vehicles were hit by airstrikes on Friday afternoon, he said over the phone. His account was confirmed by one of those injured in the airstrike. "We were driving in two vehicles," Abdul Fahim told AP Television from a hospital bed. "We were driving in vehicles when the helicopters came and bombed us, most of the people in the vehicles were killed and some were wounded," he said. Among those killed were a woman and a child. All 22 dead bodies were brought to a provincial hospital, Nuristani said. Seven people were also wounded, he said. However, a relative of one of the victims said three people were injured. "There were not any Taliban or any enemy when they (the Americans) bombarded. Around 25 people were driving in these vehicles only three were wounded and the rest were dead," Sayed Manan told AP Television. The military base is some nine kilometres (six miles) away from the place where the airstrike happened, Nuristani said. A provincial police official, said over a dozen people were killed or wounded in the strike, which he described as hitting two civilian vehicles in a remote mountainous area. It was impossible to independently verify any of the claims because of the remoteness of the area. Overall, more than eight thousand people were killed in insurgency-related attacks in Afghanistan last year - the most since the 2001 US-led invasion. Violence has claimed more than 2,100 lives so far this year. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a6b01e51ce5f18196434101c19baadb5 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork