02.19 pm, Monday November 23 2009

Afghan woman's death not by Diggers: ADF

16:04 AEST Sat Jul 4 2009
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Defence says it's unlikely Australian troops were responsible for the death of a civilian woman during an operation in Afghanistan earlier this year.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is investigating claims Australian soldiers killed four men and wounded two others during a firefight in April.

But it is confident the Taliban were responsible for the death of a woman who was injured during the incident.

Director general of Military Strategic Commitments Brigadier Rick Burr told SBS the cause of her death was "inconclusive".

"It is most likely that this particular casualty was caused by the Taliban," he told the SBS Dateline program to be aired on Sunday.

Australian troops have been accused of killing a number of civilians during operations in the strife-torn country.

In September 2008, soldiers opened fire and killed important tribal leader and opponent of the Taliban, Rozi Khan.

Others include a six-month-old baby, a teenage girl, five children and two suspected suicide bombers later found to be unarmed.

The brother of one suspected suicide bomber, 24-year-old father of four Rahz Mohammad, says there is no excuse for such errors.

"How can we forgive them? They deliberately killed my brother, who hadn't threatened them or fired at them," the brother told Dateline.

Afghan parliamentarian Haji Abdul Khaliq also believes Australian Special Forces troops killed and maimed his relatives.

Mr Khaliq said the 2006 attack on his relative's car killed his brother-in-law Abdul Baqi, blinded his wife and badly injured his daughter, who later had her leg amputated.

His son and a niece and nephew were also injured.

"Members of my family ... were shot in their car by the Australians," he told SBS.

"Their (Australian) tanks were standing right on the hill ridge, the governor recognised them and so did the chief of police, they established they were Australians."

His claims have been assessed by the ADF which says there is no substance to them.

"The assessment found that there is no evidence ... that Australian Special Forces were involved in this incident," ADF chief Angus Houston told Dateline.

 
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