Wech Baghtu wedding party airstrike

Wech Baghtu wedding party airstrike
Shah Wali Kot is located in Afghanistan
Shah Wali Kot
Shah Wali Kot
Shah Wali Kot (Afghanistan)
Date3 November 2008
Location
Wech Baghtu village, Shah Wali Kot District, Kandahar province, Afghanistan
Result 26 insurgents and 37 civilians killed including 23 children, 10 women, and 4 men, another 27 wounded

The Wech Baghtu wedding party airstrike refers to the killing of about 37 Afghan civilians, mostly women and children, and injuring about 27 others by a United States military airstrike on November the 3rd 2008. The group was celebrating a wedding at a housing complex in the village of Wech Baghtu, a Taliban stronghold in the Shah Wali Kot District of Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

The airstrike followed a firefight breaking out between US troops and Taliban forces stationed on a mountain behind the wedding party. On 7 November 2008, Afghan officials said a joint investigation found that 37 civilians and 26 insurgents were killed in Wech Baghtu. Wedding parties in Afghanistan are segregated by sex; of the civilians, 23 were children, 10 were women, and 4 were men. Another 27 persons were injured, including the bride. The bombing destroyed the housing complex where women and children had gathered to celebrate.

On 5 November 2008, Afghan President Hamid Karzai responded by demanding that newly-elected US President Barack Obama end civilian deaths, stating, "Our demand is that there will be no civilian casualties in Afghanistan. We cannot win the fight against terrorism with airstrikes – this is my first demand of the new president of the United States – to put an end to civilian casualties."

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-11-14 12:36 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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