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NATO investigates Afghan tanker attack

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Anchor Marco Werman speaks with the BBC’s Chris Morris in Afghanistan about an NATO attack against two fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban. The attack led to blasts that killed several civilians, and NATO has opened an investigation.

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MARCO WERMAN: I’m Marco Werman and this is The World, a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI, and WGBH Boston. NATO is expressing regret over the death of possibly dozens of civilians in Northern Afghanistan. As many as 90 people were killed in the early hours of this morning after an American air strike on two fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban. Many of those who died were insurgents but local officials said that as many as 30 civilians may have also lost their lives. The BBC’s Chris Morris is in Kabul.

CHRIS MORRIS: What happened? It was at about 10 o’clock last night local time; two fuel trucks or fuel tankers were hijacked by the Taliban. We spoke to one of the drivers of the trucks. He said two of his colleagues were beheaded and then the trucks were taken off into the mountains towards the Kunduz River. NATO say they observed the trucks both from the air and on the ground and at about somewhere like half past two in the morning local time a decision was taken to go for an air strike. There was a huge explosion. Now NATO says they believe only insurgents were in the area. But local people have been coming out with a rather different story saying yes a large number of Taliban militants were killed but so were a pretty large number of local civilians who’d gathered around to try to get fuel from these trucks.

WERMAN: And it’s certain the Taliban was responsible for this hijacking of these fuel trucks?

MORRIS: Yeah it is. They’ve actually phoned us to say yes we did hijack these trucks. These, we’re told, were full of jet fuel so potentially a rather alarming prospect for NATO-led forces here in Afghanistan to have these highly combustible turned to suicide bombs or other possible uses of them. And I suspect that’s why a decision was taken so quickly to take them out. Nevertheless there is now a much stricter order which has come from the US general, Stanley McChrystal, about when and how air strikes should be used. He said the crews of any aircraft must be absolutely sure that there are no civilians in the area before a strike takes place. And I’m sure part of the investigation which NATO has announced – and I think we still don’t really know the full details of who exactly died – but were those orders followed to the letter on this occasion?

WERMAN: The casualty numbers actually differ quite a bit – anywhere from none up to 90. If you believe the higher numbers I’d like to know what those people were doing around two trucks filled with jet fuel in the middle of the night.

MORRIS: Well if you’re in an Afghan village and someone says there’s some fuel available and it might be free … . I mean some of the people we’ve spoken to via a local MP say you know people were going up with buckets and saucepans to try and get some fuel which they thought they might be able to use – an area where you know that sort of thing might be in pretty short supply. But maybe they didn’t realize the danger of being so closely associated with the Taliban in that area but then again they live with them everyday because they operate in that area. So I think if civilians have died there’ll be a lot of anger in Afghanistan. President Karzai has already released a statement expressing deep sorrow for the loss of our compatriots which seems to indicate that he certainly believes that civilians were killed. And he said that targeting civilians in any form is unacceptable and so I think he’s had a conversation with General McChrystal has said there will be a full investigation. But this is just the kind of publicity which the NATO-led forces here don’t need.

WERMAN: Well precisely I mean how further damaging could today’s events be for the US commitment in Afghanistan?

MORRIS: Well you know you talk to most Afghans and most of them would say we don’t want any foreign forces here if we could choose but at the same time many people, certainly in government-held areas, recognize that there is a very real threat from the insurgency at the moment. If those forces could be more effective – and General McChrystal himself has said we have to work more effectively for the Afghan people. It’s no good just winning territory we also have to win the confidence of the people. And clearly incidents like this, if it turns out that indeed a large number of civilians have been killed, does precisely the opposite. It wins no one’s confidence. It’s simply creates more public anger.

WERMAN: The BBC’s Chris Morris in Kabul. Thank you very much Chris.

MORRIS: Thank you.

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