Afghan Gen. detained over careless coalition raid that killed two private company guards

Washington, Dec 27 (ANI): The Afghan Government has reportedly detained a senior general for his role in a careless coalition raid in Kabul that left two security guards of a private company dead and two others injured.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Friday's raid was based on faulty intelligence about two vehicles thought to be packed with explosives and believed to be part of a plot to attack the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

The paper quoted Afghan officials as saying that U.S.-led coalition forces found no explosives on the scene, and they fired on Afghan policemen when they arrived in the area.

The incident increased tensions between the Afghan government and the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which is scheduled to start handing over security responsibilities to Afghan authorities in the first half of next year, the paper said.

Meanwhile, the Afghan government described the raid, which it said was executed without its approval, as a violation of the handover agreements.

On being asked whether coalition forces shot at Afghan police, an ISAF official declined to comment, but said that Tiger International, the private company that supplies armoured vehicles, was not the target of the raid.

Meanwhile Nawhid Shah Sakhizada, the owner of Tiger International, denied that his employees shot at coalition forces.

"I want from international forces one thing: give an explanation to the families of the two security guards who were killed for nothing. I want justice," he added.

Sakhizada said coalition troops apologized for the raid, which started at about 12:15 a.m. Friday and lasted about four hours, a clam that was denied by an ISAF official. (ANI)