Afghans hold anti-US demo in Jalalabad

Afghan protesters have held an anti-US demonstration in the eastern city of Jalalabad to condemn the US-led airstrikes that kill civilians, Press TV reports.

Shouting anti-US slogans, the protesters, including hundreds of university students, took to streets of the capital city of Nangarhar Province on Monday. They carried an effigy of US President Barack Obama and burnt an American flag during the demonstration.

The protesters also expressed opposition to the presence of US-led foreign forces in the war-torn country.

The demonstrators have been particularly outraged over the killing of civilians in the recent US airstrike on a village in the eastern province of Kunar, which killed 17 civilians including a dozen children and four women.

Also on Monday, The Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement that the foreign forces should stop airstrikes on residential areas, which are conducted under the pretext of targeting militants, since such assaults cause “more civilian deaths.”

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on April 13 that Washington violated international human rights when the US military carried out the deadly airstrike in Kunar.

Many civilians have lost their lives in US-led operations in various parts of Afghanistan over the past decade, with Afghans becoming increasingly outraged at the seemingly endless number of the deadly assaults.

Washington claims that its airstrikes target militants, but local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the attacks.

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity remains across the country, despite the presence of thousands of US-led troops.