(Washington, November 1, 2001) -- Human Rights Watch today reiterated its call to the U.S. Department of Defense to explain why the village of Chowkar-Karez in southern Afghanistan was hit on October 22.
We don't know if the destruction of Chowkar-Karez was the result of bombs going astray or faulty intelligence. The Pentagon has still not offered an explanation for this lethal mistake.
Sidney Jones, Executive Director of the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch
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International journalists visiting the Kandahar area on November 1 confirmed the bombing of the village, which
Human Rights Watch reported on October 30. Human Rights Watch has details on twenty-five civilians killed in the village when U.S. bombs struck. The number could be higher, although not as high as the close to one hundred casualties that Taliban authorities have claimed.
None of the survivors interviewed by Human Rights Watch knew of any military target there or in the surrounding area.
"We don't know if the destruction of Chowkar-Karez was the result of bombs going astray or faulty intelligence," said Sidney Jones, Executive Director of the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch. "The Pentagon has still not offered an explanation for this lethal mistake."
