Press Release

United States Forces-Afghanistan

February 21, 2009

Release Number 20092102-02

Investigation in Herat confirms 3 militants, 13 noncombatants killed

HERAT, Afghanistan - Brig. Gen. Michael A. Ryan, U.S. Forces Afghanistan, offers his condolences to families of those killed during an operation targeting insurgents near Herat province, Feb. 17. The joint U.S. and Afghan investigation discovered weapons and ammunitions at the site. Brig. Gen. Ryan also met with key village leaders to convey his commitment to security in the region and throughout Afghanistan.

HERAT, Afghanistan - Brig. Gen. Michael A. Ryan, U.S. Forces Afghanistan, offers his condolences to families of those killed during an operation targeting insurgents near Herat province, Feb. 17. The joint U.S. and Afghan investigation discovered weapons and ammunitions at the site. Brig. Gen. Ryan also met with key village leaders to convey his commitment to security in the region and throughout Afghanistan.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Coalition forces confirmed three militants and thirteen noncombatants were killed during a Coalition forces' operation near Gozara district, Herat province, Feb. 17. An Afghan National Army and Coalition forces investigation team, accompanied by international observers, inspected the site this week to determine the identities of those killed.

Investigators found weapons and ammunition at the site and ANA officers held shuras with village leaders following the incident.

"We expressed our deepest condolences to the survivors of the noncombatants who were killed during this operation," said Brig. Gen. Michael Ryan, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, at the site of the attack after speaking with local villagers and family members there. "Our inquiry in Herat demonstrates how seriously we take our responsibility in conducting operations against militant targets and the occurrence of noncombatant casualties. Our concern is for the security of the Afghan people. To this end, we continually evaluate the operations we conduct during the course of our mission in Afghanistan and have agreed to coordinate our efforts jointly."

General Ryan also met with the senior provincial ANA and Afghan National Police commanders, and separately with the Governor of Herat, to discuss the attack.

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United States Forces Afghanistan's mission, in coordination with NATO's International Security Assistance Force, is to conduct operations to defeat terrorist networks and insurgents by developing effective governance and building the Afghan National Security Force.  Effective security throughout the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan facilitates continued regional stability and increases economic development for the people of Afghanistan.

Contact Information - US Forces Afghanistan Public Affairs Office

Tel +93 (0) 799 51 2919 or cell phone 0093 (0) 707 355 965

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