ISAF: "Woops...."
Saturday, April 19, 2008
ISAF denies supplying Taliban with weapons
Written by quqnoos
MPs said weapons drop was deliberate; ISAF blames 'human error'
COALITION forces have denied allegations that they deliberately supplied weapons to the Taliban in Zabul at the end of last month.
The Internal Security Affairs Commission of the Upper House said on Monday that ISAF forces had deliberately air-dropped Kalashnikovs, rocket-propelled grenades and 550,000 bullets to Taliban fighters in the province.
Today (Thursday), ISAF said: “These allegations are completely false.”
The coalition said it dispatched a helicopter to deliver arms to a remote Afghan National Police outpost Ghazni but, because of a “human error”, the cache was dropped in the wrong place.
The area was searched with aircraft but the cache was never found, ISAF said. ISAF denies the cache contained guns, but said the crates contained 7.62mm small arms ammunition, rocket-propelled grenades, food and water.
ISAF said it informed the government of the mistake but the internal security commission refused to believe that the drop was an accident.
The head of the commission, Zalmay Mujaddedi, said that local Taliban commander Mulla Muhammad Alam was in the same area where the drop was made.
At the time, Zabul MP, Hamidullah Tokhi, said: "I wonder how does Muhammad Alam on the same night comes to a house 100 meters from the site where the helicopters drop rockets, bullets, Kalashnikovs, arms and food and logistics?
Written by quqnoos
MPs said weapons drop was deliberate; ISAF blames 'human error'
COALITION forces have denied allegations that they deliberately supplied weapons to the Taliban in Zabul at the end of last month.
The Internal Security Affairs Commission of the Upper House said on Monday that ISAF forces had deliberately air-dropped Kalashnikovs, rocket-propelled grenades and 550,000 bullets to Taliban fighters in the province.
Today (Thursday), ISAF said: “These allegations are completely false.”
The coalition said it dispatched a helicopter to deliver arms to a remote Afghan National Police outpost Ghazni but, because of a “human error”, the cache was dropped in the wrong place.
The area was searched with aircraft but the cache was never found, ISAF said. ISAF denies the cache contained guns, but said the crates contained 7.62mm small arms ammunition, rocket-propelled grenades, food and water.
ISAF said it informed the government of the mistake but the internal security commission refused to believe that the drop was an accident.
The head of the commission, Zalmay Mujaddedi, said that local Taliban commander Mulla Muhammad Alam was in the same area where the drop was made.
At the time, Zabul MP, Hamidullah Tokhi, said: "I wonder how does Muhammad Alam on the same night comes to a house 100 meters from the site where the helicopters drop rockets, bullets, Kalashnikovs, arms and food and logistics?
