KABUL ¨C Rockets and heavy machine guns fired from Afghan government helicopters killed and wounded at least 107 boys and men attending a religious ceremony near the northern city of Kunduz last month, according to a United Nations report on Monday.
Last month, villagers in Dasht-i Archi district of Kunduz said dozens of people, including many children, had been killed in an attack on a religious ceremony, prompting the U.N. to launch an investigation.
The U.N. report underlined the risks of a new strategy, developed with U.S. advisers, which has seen a big buildup in Afghan air power, with rocket-equipped helicopters and attack aircraft deployed to try to break a stalemate with the Taliban.
¡°A key finding of this report is that the government used rockets and heavy machinegun fire on a religious gathering, resulting in high numbers of child casualties,¡± the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said.
It said at least 36 people, including 30 children, were killed and 71 wounded and there were questions ¡°as to the government¡¯s respect of the rules of precaution and proportionality under international humanitarian law.¡±
Investigators verified 107 victims but had received victims¡¯ lists from various sources indicating over 200 casualties, the report said.
It said there were serious concerns about the incident that required further investigation but said it was not in a position to determine whether the attack amounted to a violation of international law.
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