Afghan Killing Sparks 'Death to America' Protest

NATO kills lawmaker's brother-in-law
By Emily Rauhala,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 30, 2010 5:29 AM CDT
Afghan Killing Sparks 'Death to America' Protest
Afghans stand around the body of a man killed in a military raid on Wednesday night in Surkh Rod district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday.   (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

NATO forces killed the relative of a prominent Afghan lawmaker in a botched raid, triggering protests by villagers who chanted: "Death to America." Afghan lawmaker Safya Sidiqi, who lost her brother-in-law in the attack Wednesday, called the incident "barbaric and unjustifiable." NATO claims troops shot the man because he was holding a gun. His family says he mistook the soldiers for robbers, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The dead man left 5 children behind. “The Americans have created 5 more enemies,”said Sidiqi. The killing couldn't come at a worse time. A recent Pentagon report finds that the country's Western-backed government has limited support in strategically important regions. Added to that is a growing backlash against night raids like the one that claimed Sidiqi's brother-in-law, reports the Times of London. Click here to read more about civilian deaths in Afghanistan.
(More Afghanistan stories.)

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