Pakistani shepherd killed in US firing

Published January 31, 2004

QUETTA, Jan 30: A Pakistani shepherd was killed and two others were injured seriously when US forces opened fire on them after they mistakenly crossed into the Afghan area near Dobandi close to Pakistan-Afghan border in Toba Achakzai area, on Friday.

The US and Afghan forces were busy in a search operation against Taliban in an Afghan area close to Dobandi, a small Pakistani border town in Qila Abdullah district, when the three Pakistani shepherds crossed into the Afghan border in search of their goats.

The US forces opened fire on them considering them to be Taliban, killing Abdul Qadir on the spot. He received many bullets on different parts of his body.

His two other colleagues Janan and Gul Zaman were seriously injured in the firing. Both the injured were taken to the Chaman Civil Hospital. "We were in search of our goats in the area and crossed into Afghan area mistakenly on which the American forces opened fire considering us to be Taliban," injured Gul Zaman told local reporters.