Agency Looks Into Deaths of Taliban POWs
The international Red Cross said Tuesday that it is investigating reports that dozens of Taliban captives suffocated in shipping containers while being taken to prison in northern Afghanistan.
“Our staff on the ground are trying to get more information,” said Macarena Aguilar, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“We don’t have confirmation--our staff first visited the prison at Sheberghan on Monday, after pushing for 10 days to be allowed to do so,” Aguilar said.
The prison houses about 3,000 Taliban fighters, many of whom need medical treatment, she said. The Red Cross arranged for those needing surgery to be moved to a local hospital, she said.
Tuesday’s New York Times quoted a Northern Alliance commander as saying that at least 43 fighters had died of wounds or asphyxiation while being moved in shipping containers from Kunduz.
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