Kunduz madrassa airstrike | |
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Part of War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) | |
![]() Kunduz in Afghanistan | |
Location | Kunduz |
Date | 2 April 2018 |
Attack type | Airstrike |
Deaths | |
Injured | |
Perpetrators | ![]() |
The Kunduz madrassa airstrike was an Afghan Air Force (AAF) airstrike that killed and injured many civilians at the Akhundzada Gojor Madrassa in the Dasht-e-Archi region of Kunduz, Afghanistan on 2 April 2018. The target of airstrike was a religious gathering at a Madrassa (religious school). A graduation ceremony was taking place at the Madrassa and hundreds of people were attending the ceremony at the time of airstrike. [3] Initially, Afghan Government claimed that airstrike had killed scores of Taliban and denied any civilian casualties took place. But later the Afghan Government admitted that civilians were killed in the airstrike. [4] Local residents from Dasht-e-Archi deny that any Taliban were present at the Madrassa. [5] They said that only children and civilians were targeted and there were no Taliban among the casualties. [6]
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) concluded that around 36 people (30 children and 6 adults) were killed and 71 (51 children and 20 adults) were injured in the attack. UNAMA said that the toll could be much higher as it counted only those casualties that could be confirmed by three independent sources. UNAMA also contradicted Afghan officials claim that the target of the airstrike was Taliban planning session. [1]
Afghanistan's president, Ashraf Ghani, apologised to the victims of airstrike. [7] However, none of the perpetrators of the airstrike were punished.
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in their report stated that Afghan Air Force (AAF) used rockets and heavy machine-gun fire on a religious gathering which resulted in high numbers of children casualties. [8] UNAMA confirmed that the ceremony was widely publicized and was known in the area of Laghmani village. Around 400 posters were used to advertise the ceremony and special guests from around the country were to visit the ceremony. The victims and witnesses interviewed by UNAMA consistently reported that the MD-530F helicopter approached and fired rockets into the crowd, striking children sitting at the rear of the ceremony first. After the first rocket struck the crowd and people ran towards the nearby road and houses, the helicopters continued to launch rockets in the village and fire machineguns, reportedly following the path of individuals fleeing the area. [8]
Doctors, who treated the victims of the airstrike, reported that "the victims had been hit by pieces of bomb and shrapnel". [9] [10]
On 4 April 2018, hundreds of residents from Dasht-e-Archi started moving to Kunduz city (capital of Kunduz province) to protest the Afghan Air Force (AAF) airstrike. The protesters threatened that if the government does not investigate the airstrike, all the residents of Dasht-e-Archi will join the Taliban and announce their support for Islamic Emirate of Taliban. [11] [12]
Prominent Afghans rationalized the killing of Afghan children by Afghan government in pursuit of Taliban. Social media accounts (belonging to Afghans) based in Afghanistan and other western countries lashed out at anyone who questioned the official narrative and pointed out that civilians were killed in the attack. Some of these accounts belonged to former Afghan government officials, others to Afghan journalists, while the rest belonged to anonymous users. [13]
Omar Zakhilwal, the then-Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan, condemned the airstrike. He said that airstrike had occurred on the Madrassa and had killed many civilians and children. [3]
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, also condemned the strikes. He said that "such raids, carried out in the name of fighting terrorism, on our homes, hospitals and religious facilities are against all principles." [3]
Ashraf Ghani, president of Afghanistan, apologised to the victims of the airstrike. The Afghan government apology came after 44 days of airstrike on the religious school. He claimed that the "main difference between government and insurgent is that a legitimate government will always seek forgiveness for mistake". [7] However, his apology was criticised by many. [13]
Kunduz is a city in northern Afghanistan, the capital of Kunduz Province. The city has an estimated population of about 268,893 as of 2015, making it about the 7th-largest city of Afghanistan, and the largest city in northeastern Afghanistan. Kunduz is in the historical Tokharistan region of Bactria, near the confluence of the Kunduz River with the Khanabad River. Kunduz is linked by highways with Kabul to the south, Mazar-i-Sharif to the west, and Badakhshan to the east. Kunduz is also linked with Dushanbe in Tajikistan to the north, via the Afghan dry port of Sherkhan Bandar. This city is famous in Afghanistan for its watermelon production.
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The following items form a partial timeline of the War in Afghanistan. For events prior to October 7, 2001, see 2001 in Afghanistan.
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The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Afghanistan.
The Battle of Kunduz took place from April to October 2015 for control of the city of Kunduz, located in northern Afghanistan, with Taliban fighters attempting to seize the city and displace Afghan security forces. On 28 September 2015, the Taliban forces suddenly overran the city, with government forces retreating outside the city. The capture marked the first time since 2001 that the Taliban had taken control of a major city in Afghanistan. The Afghan government claimed to have largely recaptured Kunduz by 1 October 2015 in a counterattack, although local sources in the city disputed the claim made by government officials.
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The Battle of Boz Qandahari occurred on 3 November 2016, in the village of Boz Qandahari, on the western outskirts of the Afghan city of Kunduz, between Afghan National Army Commandos alongside United States Army Special Forces against Taliban insurgents.
Events in the year 2017 in Afghanistan.
Events in the year 2018 in Afghanistan.
Events from the year 2019 in Afghanistan.
Events in the year 2020 in Afghanistan.
Aqtash District is a district in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan. It was not part of the 399 or 407 district sets, but is recognized in the 422 district set as a temporary district. It was split from Khanabad District in late 2015 after a visit from Ashraf Ghani, the president of Afghanistan. In 2019, only two polling centers were open in the district, with 277 votes cast.
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