Nangar Khel incident
Encyclopedia
The Nangar Khel incident, sometimes called the Nangar Khel massacre , took place in the Afghanistan
village of Nangar Khel
(Paktika Province
) on August 16, 2007. Following an insurgent IED
ambush which injured two soldiers from another Polish patrol in the area, a patrol of the Polish soldiers from the elite 18th Airborne-Assault Battalion taking part in the International Security Assistance Force
fired a heavy machine gun
and a 60 mm mortar
at the village. The attack resulted in the deaths of six civilians, including a pregnant woman and three children, and seriously injured three other women.
s, since the villagers were opposed to Talibs' operations near their village.
That evening and the following day, the Provincial Reconstruction Team and Polish soldiers planned "consequence management", including contact with the villagers, gifts of food and supplies, the purchase of a goat for the villagers as a goodwill gesture, and regular visits to the village in order to build "trust and rapport with the villagers". Families of the victims were later paid compensation, while the injured Afghans were flown to be treated for their wounds in a hospital in Poland.
against seven soldiers of the Charlie combat team (two officers, two non-commissioned officers and three privates) to the Warsaw
's Military District Court, accusing them of committing a war crime
of unlawfully targeting civilians in a reprisal. Captain Olgierd C. and his men all say they are innocent. Six of them (accused of killing civilians), if found guilty, would face a penalty of 12 to 25 years in prison to even life imprisonment, while another one (accused of opening fire on an unarmed target) faces up to 25 years in prison. According to spokesperson for the Court, "It's a unique trial, not only in Poland but also in Europe or even in the world." Nevertheless, the case was given little attention in foreign media.
The trial began in February 2009. In May, Polish Minister of Defense Bogdan Klich
gave a testimony in which he called the incident "a mistake", citing opinion of commander of the U.S.
forces in the area. The soldiers have also gained support from many military officers and celebrities, including General Sławomir Petelicki, the founder and first commander of the Polish special forces unit GROM
. On June 1, 2011, the Warsaw District Court acquitted all seven soldiers for lack of evidence of deliberate killing. The court described the case as unprecedented in the history of the Polish military and judiciary. The prosecution has the right of appeal against the verdict.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
village of Nangar Khel
Nangar Khel
Nangar Khel is a village in the Paktika Province, southeastern Afghanistan, located in the mountains at the altitude of . Its coordinates are ....
(Paktika Province
Paktika Province
Paktika is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the south-east of the country. Most of the population is Pashtun. Its capital is Sharan.-Political and military situation:...
) on August 16, 2007. Following an insurgent IED
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
ambush which injured two soldiers from another Polish patrol in the area, a patrol of the Polish soldiers from the elite 18th Airborne-Assault Battalion taking part in the International Security Assistance Force
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
fired a heavy machine gun
Heavy machine gun
The heavy machine gun or HMG is a larger class of machine gun generally recognized to refer to two separate stages of machine gun development. The term was originally used to refer to the early generation of machine guns which came into widespread use in World War I...
and a 60 mm mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
at the village. The attack resulted in the deaths of six civilians, including a pregnant woman and three children, and seriously injured three other women.
Incident
According to the military report D9 161030z of the Afghan War Diary, the patrol fired 26 mortar rounds, of which three landed in a compound where a wedding celebration was taking place. The villagers stated that there was no shooting coming from the village when the mortars were fired there, while the Polish soldiers stated that they had fired a machine gun at four people near the village, who in turn fired back. The villagers stated that the Polish soldiers should have come to the village to ask for information regarding Taliban fighters planting of IEDImprovised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
s, since the villagers were opposed to Talibs' operations near their village.
That evening and the following day, the Provincial Reconstruction Team and Polish soldiers planned "consequence management", including contact with the villagers, gifts of food and supplies, the purchase of a goat for the villagers as a goodwill gesture, and regular visits to the village in order to build "trust and rapport with the villagers". Families of the victims were later paid compensation, while the injured Afghans were flown to be treated for their wounds in a hospital in Poland.
Trial
On July 6, 2008, prosecutors ended the investigation and sent an indictmentIndictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
against seven soldiers of the Charlie combat team (two officers, two non-commissioned officers and three privates) to the Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
's Military District Court, accusing them of committing a war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
of unlawfully targeting civilians in a reprisal. Captain Olgierd C. and his men all say they are innocent. Six of them (accused of killing civilians), if found guilty, would face a penalty of 12 to 25 years in prison to even life imprisonment, while another one (accused of opening fire on an unarmed target) faces up to 25 years in prison. According to spokesperson for the Court, "It's a unique trial, not only in Poland but also in Europe or even in the world." Nevertheless, the case was given little attention in foreign media.
The trial began in February 2009. In May, Polish Minister of Defense Bogdan Klich
Bogdan Klich
Bogdan Adam Klich was a Polish politician and Minister of National Defence of Poland. Bogdan Klich was interned in 1981 during the martial law set by the communist regime...
gave a testimony in which he called the incident "a mistake", citing opinion of commander of the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forces in the area. The soldiers have also gained support from many military officers and celebrities, including General Sławomir Petelicki, the founder and first commander of the Polish special forces unit GROM
GROM
GROM is one of five special forces units of the Polish Armed Forces. It was officially activated on July 8, 1990...
. On June 1, 2011, the Warsaw District Court acquitted all seven soldiers for lack of evidence of deliberate killing. The court described the case as unprecedented in the history of the Polish military and judiciary. The prosecution has the right of appeal against the verdict.
External links
- Polish troops killed Afghan civilians-ministry, ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, 22 August 2007 - Polish NATO troops charged with murdering Afghan civilians, AFP, November 14, 2007
- An Afghanistan War-Crimes Case Tests Poland’s Commitment to Foreign Missions, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, November 29, 2007 - NATO: Poland to deal with war crimes, UPIUnited Press InternationalUnited Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
, December 5, 2007 - Polish Troops Face War Crimes Charges, Military.comMilitary.comMilitary.com is the website created by Military Advantage to be a portal for U.S. military members. In early 2004, Military Advantage was purchased by Monster Worldwide. The company's main revenue streams are advertising, military-themed products and lead generation for military recruiters...
, December 28, 2007 - Nangar Khel: Inspecting the Scene, Gazeta WyborczaGazeta WyborczaGazeta Wyborcza is a leading Polish newspaper. It covers the gamut of political, international and general news. Like all the Polish newspapers, it is printed on compact-sized paper, and is published by the multimedia corporation Agora SA...
, 2008-07-15 - Nangar Khel - a Reconstruction, Gazeta WyborczaGazeta WyborczaGazeta Wyborcza is a leading Polish newspaper. It covers the gamut of political, international and general news. Like all the Polish newspapers, it is printed on compact-sized paper, and is published by the multimedia corporation Agora SA...
, 2008-07-28 - Court Criticizes Nangar Khel Probe, Warsaw VoiceWarsaw VoiceWarsaw Voice: Polish and Central European Review is an English language newspaper printed in Poland, concentrating on news about Poland and its neighbours. First released in October 1988, it is a general news magazine with sections on political, economic, social and cultural news and with opinions...
, 22 October 2008 - Nangar Khel Comes Up, Gazeta WyborczaGazeta WyborczaGazeta Wyborcza is a leading Polish newspaper. It covers the gamut of political, international and general news. Like all the Polish newspapers, it is printed on compact-sized paper, and is published by the multimedia corporation Agora SA...
, 2009-02-03