GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan – An insurgent attack on a bazaar resulted in three killed and 13 wounded villagers, in Mama Shakhil village, Moqur district, March 21.
Insurgents launched five mortar rounds at an Afghan National Army compound, and three mortars landed within the ANA compound walls, while two landed in the bazaar. While there was no assessed damage to a nearby ANA compound, the attack on the bazaar resulted in the dead and wounded villagers.
The wounded villagers, which included women and children, were brought to either a nearby coalition forces base or local medical facility for immediate medical treatment. The villagers treated at the coalition forces base will be moved to a local medical facility for further treatment.
“The population is our number one priority, so we want to keep them safe, and this tragedy was perpetrated by insurgents who were very desperate and are endangering the local population,” said Lt. Col. John Highfill, Task Force Ghazni commander. “By attacking the bazaar, the obvious intended target was their own people and Afghan security forces. As a way of protecting the population, we would like the villagers to report any insurgent activity in order to protect themselves and their villages.”