Zerkoh Valley (alternately ''Zirko'', ''Zer-e-koh'') runs for 30 miles through Shindand District,

Herat Province Herat ( Persian: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north-western part of the country. Together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the north-western region of Afghanistan. Its primary city ...

, Afghanistan.

Civilian deaths in Coalition airstrikes

On 29 April 2007, a number of Afghan civilians in Zerkoh were killed in

airstrike An airstrike, air strike or air raid is an offensive operation carried out by aircraft. Air strikes are delivered from aircraft such as blimps, balloons, fighters, heavy bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters and drones. The off ...

s conducted in support of US Special Operations Forces. Estimates of the number of dead vary, with the Afghan government claiming 42 killed, with no sign of

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pas ...

forces. Initial Coalition media reports stated that 87 Taliban were killed with no reports of civilian casualties.

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ...

reported the civilian dead as at least 25.“Troops in Contact”
Human Rights Watch, 8 September 2008

External links

Special Forces Travel a Difficult Road in Afghanistan
''All Things Considered'', National Public Radio. June 10, 2009

References

Landforms of Herat Province Valleys of Afghanistan {{herat-geo-stub