Deh Bala wedding party airstrike

Deh Bala wedding party airstrike
Date6 July 2008
LocationDeh Bala, Dih Bala District, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan
Result 47 civilians killed including 39 women and children and 8 teenagers, another nine wounded

The Deh Bala wedding party airstrike was an attack by United States military forces on July 6, 2008, in which 47 Afghans were killed. The group was claimed to be escorting a bride to a wedding ceremony in the groom's village in Dih Bala district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan.

The United States Government denied that civilians were killed in the incident. An investigation by the Afghan Government disagreed and determined that 47 civilians, including the bride, had been killed.[1][2][3][4][5]

Summary of events

On July 6, 2008, a large number of Afghan civilians were walking in an area called Kamala in Dih Bala district of the eastern province of Nangarhar.[6][7] When the group stopped for a rest, it was hit in succession by three bombs from United States military aircraft.[8] The first bomb hit a group of children who were ahead of the main procession, killing them instantly.[8] A few minutes later, the aircraft returned and dropped a second bomb in the center of the group, killing a large number of women.[8] The bride and two girls survived the second bomb, but were killed by a third bomb while trying to escape from the area.[8] Hajj Khan, one of four elderly men who were escorting the party, stated that his grandson was killed and that there were body parts everywhere.[8]

Relatives from the groom's village stated it was not possible to identify the remains, and buried the 47 victims in 28 graves.[8] An investigation ordered by President Karzai and led by a nine-man commission of the senate found that 47 civilians including the bride had been killed.[3][5] Burhanullah Shinwari, a member of the commission, told the BBC that there were 39 women and children among those killed, and that eight of those who died were between the ages of 14 and 18.[9] Another nine people were wounded in the attack.[4]

On July 16, 2008, President Hamid Karzai visited the site where the US-led strikes hit the wedding.[10]

Cultural references

Rock band The Airborne Toxic Event recorded a track protesting the bombing entitled "Welcome to Your Wedding Day" on their second album All at Once.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Shah, Amir (11 July 2008). "47 Afghan civilians killed by U.S. bombs, group says". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  2. ↑ "47 air strike kills 47 Afghan civilians". Bangladesh News. 14 February 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Afghan Report Says 47 Civilians Died in US Airstrike". Voice of America News. 11 July 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  4. 1 2 James Sturcke and agencies (11 July 2008). "US air strike wiped out Afghan wedding party, inquiry finds". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  5. 1 2 Garlasco, Marc E. (2008). "Troops in contact": airstrikes and civilian deaths in Afghanistan. New York: Human Rights Watch. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-56432-362-0.
  6. ↑ "South Asia | Afghan survivors tell of wedding bombing". BBC News. 13 July 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  7. ↑ "Afghan official: U.S. strike hit wedding party". MSNBC. 7 November 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Clancy Chassay (16 December 2008). "Special report: 'I was still holding my grandson's hand – the rest was gone'". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  9. ↑ "South Asia | US 'killed 47 Afghan civilians'". BBC News. 11 July 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  10. ↑ "AFP: Afghan leader visits site where US-led strikes hit wedding". AFP. 17 July 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  11. ↑ "Airborne Toxic Event Condemn Drone Bombings in 'Wedding' Song". Spinner. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2011.

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