Six Afghans Killed in U.S. Raid

U.S. military forces raided a village near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan Wednesday, killing six civilians, including a woman and two children.

Three men were also killed and two other were detained, the villagers in Muqibel, the raided location, said.

Major Chris Belcher, a spokesman for the U.S. military, stated that the U.S.-led forces aimed to find a militant named Bismullah, involved in roadside bomb attacks and weapon smuggling. Major Belcher’s statement also said that the militants were the first to shoot at the U.S. troops, who returned fire, killing several militants, including Bismullah.

Apparently, the woman and the children were inside a house from which the militants were shooting.

"It is regrettable that militants continue to place innocent lives at risk simply to further their own agendas," Major Belcher said, according to BBC News.

The attacks affecting civilians usually cause the public’s anger against the foreign troops present in the country and the Pro-Western government of President Hamid Karzai.

The villagers of Muqibel chanted angry slogans against President George W. Bush, such as “Death to Bush” and “We will join the jihad.”

The U.S.-led coalition has about 7,000 troops in Afghanistan, separate from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which is also involved in operations against terrorism, Reuters informs.

President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly accused U.S. in the past, for killing or injuring too many civilians in their military operations against terrorism. U.S. responded by promising to modify its tactics, in order to reduce the number of civilian deaths.

The raid came a day after some members of the parliament accused ISAF of killing more than 30 people, including civilians in the province of Helmand. ISAF denied the charges, saying that the airstrike hit only Talibans who were traveling in three vehicles on an isolated road.