Bomb attack by Dutch army in Afghanistan was unlawful, court rules

A bomb attack by the Dutch army on a residential building in Afghanistan in 2007 that killed 20 people was unlawful, a court in The Hague ruled on Wednesday.

The court ordered the state to pay damages to the families of the victims. The court upheld a complaint by four relatives.

In 2007, Dutch units bombed a housing complex in Uruzgan province in the fight against the Taliban, although it was known that citizens lived there.

The Netherlands had claimed that it was a military target.

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In the court’s opinion there was insufficient evidence that the Taliban had also used the building for military purposes.

The state had therefore violated the international humanitarian law of war, according to which a distinction must be made between civilian and military targets.

The state can still appeal against the verdict.

The attack on the residential complex was part of the so-called Battle for Chora of the international NATO force ISAF against the Taliban, in which The Netherlands participated.(dpa/NAN)