Afghan team probes fatal army attack on wedding

By: 10 years ago

Afghan injured children are treated at hospital in Helmand province, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014. AP

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan—The Afghan government says it has sent a team to southern Helmand province to investigate the deaths of at least 28 people, mostly women and children, killed when soldiers fired artillery at a wedding party.

Gen. Dawlat Waziri, deputy Defense Ministry spokesman, said Friday a delegation was dispatched from Kabul to Sangin district after initial investigations found that army soldiers had fired at a house from two directions while the wedding party was in full swing on Wednesday night.

The head of the army in Helmand, Gen. Sultan Mahmoud, says all soldiers in the area at the time have been confined to their base amid the investigation.

Sangin has seen heavy fighting between government forces and Taliban insurgents since United States forces withdrew six months ago.