- Deh Bala wedding party bombing
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Deh Bala wedding party bombing Date July 6, 2008 Location Deh Bala, Dih Bala District, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan Result 47 civilians killed including 39 women and children, another nine wounded Timeline
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Airstrikes
Hyderabad · Sayyd Alma Kalay · Gora Prai · Azizabad · Granai · Deh Bala · Sangin · UruzganInsurgent attacks
Bagram Air Base · Baghlan · Camp ChapmanDeh Bala wedding party bombing refers to the killing of a large number of Afghan civilians mostly women and children who were walking the bride of a wedding ceremony to the groom's village in Dih Bala district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan.[1][2]
When the group was stopping for a rest it was hit by at least three U.S. military bombs that killed most of the victims instantly on July 6, 2008.[3] The U.S. military initially denied that any civilians were killed in the incident.[4][5]
An investigation ordered by President Karzai and led by a nine-man commission of the senate found that 47 civilians including the bride had been killed, this was also confirmed by human rights officials.[6][7][8]
Contents
Summary of events
The Guardian December 16, 2008:[3]
- It was 7.30 on a hot July morning when the plane came swooping low over the remote ravine. Below, a bridal party was making its way to the groom's village in an area called Kamala, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, to prepare for the celebrations later that day.
- The first bomb hit a large group of children who had run on ahead of the main procession. It killed most of them instantly.
- A few minutes later, the plane returned and dropped another bomb, right in the centre of the group. This time the victims were almost all women. Somehow the bride and two girls survived but as they scrambled down the hillside, desperately trying to get away from the plane, a third bomb caught them. Hajj Khan was one of four elderly men escorting the bride's party that day.
- "We were walking, I was holding my grandson's hand, then there was a loud noise and everything went white. When I opened my eyes, everybody was screaming. I was lying metres from where I had been, I was still holding my grandson's hand but the rest of him was gone. I looked around and saw pieces of bodies everywhere. I couldn't make out which part was which."
- Relatives from the groom's village said it was impossible to identify the remains. They buried the 47 victims in 28 graves.
Investigation
An investigation ordered by President Karzai and led by a nine-man commission of the senate found that 47 civilians including the bride had been killed, this was also confirmed by human rights officials.[6][8]
Burhanullah Shinwari member of the commission told the BBC: "There are 39 women and children" among those killed, he said. The eight other people who died were "between the ages of 14 and 18".[9]
Another nine people were wounded in the attack.[7]
Reactions
President Hamid Karzai visited the site where the US-led strikes hit the wedding.[10] Rock band The Airborne Toxic Event recorded a track protesting the bombing entitled "Welcome to Your Wedding Day" on their second album All at Once.[11]
See also
- Wech Baghtu wedding party attack 37 women and children killed in Kandahar province, 2008
- Azizabad airstrike 78-92 civilians mostly children killed in Herat province in 2008
- Granai airstrike 86-145 civilians, mostly children killed in Farah province in 2009
- Sangin airstrike 39-52 mostly women and children killed in Nangarhar province in 2010
- Uruzgan helicopter attack 27-33 civilians killed including four women and one child in Orūzgān province in 2010
- List of massacres in Afghanistan
References
- ^ "South Asia | Afghan survivors tell of wedding bombing". BBC News. 2008-07-13. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7504574.stm. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ^ "Afghan official: U.S. strike hit wedding party". MSNBC. 2008-11-07. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25635571/. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ^ a b Clancy Chassay (2008-12-16). "Special report: 'I was still holding my grandson's hand - the rest was gone'". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/16/afghanistan-taliban-us-foreign-policy. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ^ Shah, Amir (2008-07-11). "47 Afghan civilians killed by U.S. bombs, group says". San Diego Union-Tribune. http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/news/world/iraq/20080711-0458-afghanistan.html. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ^ "47 air strike kills 47 Afghan civilians". Bangladesh News. 2011-02-14. http://www.independent-bangladesh.com/200807127437/international/47-air-strike-kills-47-afghan-civilians.html. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ^ a b "Afghan Report Says 47 Civilians Died in US Airstrike". Voice of America News. 2008-07-11. http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-2008-07-11-voa38.html. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ^ a b James Sturcke and agencies (2008-07-11). "US air strike wiped out Afghan wedding party, inquiry finds". Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/11/afghanistan.usa. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ^ a b Garlasco, Marc E. (2008). "Troops in contact": airstrikes and civilian deaths in Afghanistan. New York: Human Rights Watch. p. 24. ISBN 9781564323620. http://books.google.com/books?id=YiLueYkS380C&pg=PA24.
- ^ "South Asia | US 'killed 47 Afghan civilians'". BBC News. 2008-07-11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7501538.stm. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ^ "AFP: Afghan leader visits site where US-led strikes hit wedding". AFP. 2008-07-17. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h4sfwKjDTSgaZpTIxeD3W6xQYhQA. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
- ^ "Airborne Toxic Event Condemn Drone Bombings in 'Wedding' Song". Spinner. 2010-11-17. http://www.spinner.com/2010/11/17/airborne-toxic-event-pen-song-about-afghanistan-wedding-bombing/. Retrieved 2011-06-11.
External links
- BBC video report from the scene including interviews with the relatives of the victims
- The names of all 47 victims and images of the wounded
- Some matter more - When 47 victims are worth 43 words
Invasion / occupation Casualties / losses Controversy Bagram torture and prisoner abuse · Guantanamo Bay detention camp · Salt Pit · Dasht-i-Leili massacre · Shinwar shooting · Hyderabad airstrike · Nangar Khel incident · Deh Bala wedding party bombing · Azizabad airstrike · Wech Baghtu wedding party attack · Granai airstrike · Kunduz airstrike · Narang night raid · Khataba raid · Uruzgan helicopter attack · Sangin airstrike · Maywand District killings · Tarok Kolache · Mano Gai airstrike
Reactions Afghan War documents leak · International public opinion · Opposition · Protests
Afghan War at Wikinews · Commons Categories:- 2008 in Afghanistan
- War in Afghanistan (2001–present) casualties
- Civilian casualties in the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- Civilians in war
- History of Nangarhar Province
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