.NATO apologizes for exodus from southern Afghanistan
A standoff between Taliban fighters and NATO coalition forces in southern Afghanistan has prompted an apology from one of NATO's coalition commanders.
Fighting between the two sides has caused a mass of people to flee in the southern Panjwaii region of the country in recent months.
Col. Chris Vernon, chief of staff for the NATO multinational brigade in Afghanistan, offered a qualified apology to those who have been displaced.
"To those who are affected, I apologize from our half but I would say I don't think we're initiating a lot of it," Vernon told a news conference. "It's not us going and fighting in these villages and taking them over."
Vernon placed blame on Taliban fighters, saying they have made the region highly unstable.
A mortar attack on a Canadian outpost left six Canadians injured yesterday. One soldier was treated at Forward Operating Base Wilson. Five others were flown to a military hospital at the Kandahar airfield, where three soldiers were treated and released, and two others were kept for observation.
None of the injuries was considered life-threatening.
Taliban militants have increased the intensity of their attacks with a series of suicide bombings, rocket attacks and ambushes since NATO took control of the U.S.-led forces on Aug. 1.
About 2,200 Canadians are serving in Afghanistan, with most based in Kandahar. Since 2002, 26 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died in Afghanistan.
CBC
Fighting between the two sides has caused a mass of people to flee in the southern Panjwaii region of the country in recent months.
Col. Chris Vernon, chief of staff for the NATO multinational brigade in Afghanistan, offered a qualified apology to those who have been displaced.
"To those who are affected, I apologize from our half but I would say I don't think we're initiating a lot of it," Vernon told a news conference. "It's not us going and fighting in these villages and taking them over."
Vernon placed blame on Taliban fighters, saying they have made the region highly unstable.
A mortar attack on a Canadian outpost left six Canadians injured yesterday. One soldier was treated at Forward Operating Base Wilson. Five others were flown to a military hospital at the Kandahar airfield, where three soldiers were treated and released, and two others were kept for observation.
None of the injuries was considered life-threatening.
Taliban militants have increased the intensity of their attacks with a series of suicide bombings, rocket attacks and ambushes since NATO took control of the U.S.-led forces on Aug. 1.
About 2,200 Canadians are serving in Afghanistan, with most based in Kandahar. Since 2002, 26 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died in Afghanistan.
CBC
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