Afghanistan: ‘Civilians killed’ in assault on Kunduz madrassa

An air assault by Afghan forces on a gathering non secular college in a Taliban stronghold has brought about just a few casualties, including civilians, Afghan officers and witnesses said.

Top Taliban commanders had been gathered within the madrassa the establish a graduation ceremony became under map for college students on the time of the assault on Monday within the northeastern province of Kunduz, a security offer told AFP recordsdata company. 

He said an unknown replacement of civilians had been amongst the casualties that additionally integrated senior Taliban commanders who had been « planning for the next spring operations ».

« Several needless and at least 15 wounded », including early life, had been taken to the regional clinic within the provincial capital Kunduz, Naim Mangal, a physician, told AFP.

Family individuals of the wounded told an AFP photographer on the clinic that the assault took jam one day of a graduation ceremony on the madrassa in Dashte Archi district, which is managed by the Taliban.

« When the planes came at spherical 12:00 pm some early life screamed ‘they are going to topple a bomb’ however the elders said ‘level-headed down, nothing is going to happen’, but then in an instantaneous bombs hit the mosque, » Mohammad Ishaq told AFP.

It became no longer definite if the madrassa became within the mosque or became a separate building.

Ishaq said civilians, college students and a few Taliban, who had been invited to again the ceremony, had been within the mosque on the time of the assault. There had been three airstrikes which « destroyed » the building, he added.

« I escaped unhurt but many folk had been killed and injured and I saw their our bodies laying on the bottom, » he said.

The Taliban issued a assertion confirming the assault on the madrassa, but denied its opponents had been assembly on the college.

Around A hundred and fifty non secular scholars and civilians  – most of them early life –  had been amongst the needless and wounded, the community added.

Several boys with their legs and hands bandaged had been seen laying in beds and along the corridors of the clinic.

The protection offer said the Taliban had started assembly at madrassas within the hope of warding off air attacks. 

‘No civilians killed’

A defence ministry spokesman confirmed an air assault in Dashte Archi, but described the web site online as a extra or less Taliban « coaching centre » and denied civilians had been amongst the casualties.

« Twenty Taliban, including the commander of their Purple Unit within the district, and additionally a key member of the Quetta Shura had been killed, » Mohammad Radmanish said.

The Purple Unit is the armed community’s elite unit, and the Quetta Shura is its management council.

The the same number had been wounded, Radmanish added.

The assembly integrated a « high-ranking Taliban delegation » from the Quetta Shura, Ghulam Hazrat, a spokesman for the 20th navy division in Kunduz, told AFP.

« Fifteen Taliban had been killed and 10 had been wounded, » Hazrat said. He additionally denied civilians had been amongst the casualties.

A senior local kindly said « spherical A hundred and fifty » of us had been killed and wounded within the air raid. 

Afghan officers over and over give conflicting casualty figures after an assault.

Acquiring detailed records is difficult for the reason that Taliban controls the reveal. Most telecommunication services are gash from slack afternoon on Taliban orders, locals insist.

A spokesman for US Forces said they had been no longer fascinated with Monday’s air assault.

Afghanistan’s fledgling air power has accelerated bombardments in fresh months because the Americans toughen the country’s aerial skill with extra airplane and better weapons.

Earlier this month, the Afghan Air Drive dropped its first laser-guided bomb on a Taliban compound within the western province of Farah, the establish the armed community has gone on the offensive.

US and Afghan forces are rising ground and air offensives towards Taliban and the Islamic Negate of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, additionally known as ISIS) as they fight to catch the upper hand within the sixteen-365 days battle.

Primarily the most contemporary assault comes weeks ahead of the Taliban in general launches its spring offensive.

The community is under rising stress to soak up President Ashraf Ghani’s provide of peace talks but to this point it has no longer responded.