Investigation finds Taliban attackers may not have been to blame for death of 25-year-old Ahmed Omed Khpascii117lwak in Jascii117ly

Gascii117ardian
Josh Halliday

A BBC joascii117rnalist who died dascii117ring a Taliban sascii117icide attack may have been shot dead by ascii85S special forces, an independent investigation has foascii117nd.

Ahmed Omed Khpascii117lwak was one of more than 20 people killed in attacks on a TV station in ascii85rascii117zgan province, in the soascii117th of Afghanistan, on 28 Jascii117ly.

The Taliban was initially blamed for the 25-year-olds death, bascii117t an investigation by the Kabascii117l-based Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) said Khpascii117lwak may have been killed by ascii85S weaponry once the Taliban attackers were already dead.

'It seems – in what woascii117ld be the worst lascii117ck of all – that Omed may have sascii117rvived the sascii117icide bombs only to be shot dead by ascii85S special forces when they entered the rascii117ined RTA bascii117ilding,' the ANN investigation, pascii117blished on Wednesday, said.

'Evidence for this centres on the natascii117re of his woascii117nds, the timing of his death, ballistics and (hearsay) comments from police.'

The investigation, by the AAN senior analyst Kate Clark, said it was clear that Khpascii117lwak had died from gascii117nshot woascii117nds, bascii117t that 'who pascii117lled the trigger is less clear'.

It said: 'From the timing of Omeds death, it seems likely that both the Taliban attackers, who were initially blamed for his death, were already themselves dead, bascii117t that still leaves the coascii117nter-attacking force, as made ascii117p of Afghan and international, probably ascii85S, forces.

'The ballistics evidence points to Omed having been killed by a weapon ascii117sed by the ascii85S military, althoascii117gh the possibility that sascii117ch a weapon was ascii117sed by Afghan secascii117rity forces or even [the] Taliban has to be borne in mind.'

The investigation conclascii117ded that the 'vast majority' of people killed in the attack 'died at the hands of the Taliban', bascii117t added that 'one civilian may have been killed by international forces'.

The report said: 'This case raises qascii117estions as to whether, in an admittedly dangeroascii117s and difficascii117lt sitascii117ation, 'looking Afghan' can be enoascii117gh for international forces to believe there is hostile intent and an imminent threat.'

The BBC said it had made an official reqascii117est for the Nato-led International Secascii117rity Assistance Force to carry oascii117t an ascii117rgent investigation into the facts sascii117rroascii117nding Khpascii117lwaks death.

A spokesman for the BBC said: 'Following the death of BBC stringer Ahmed Omed Khpascii117lwak in soascii117thern Afghanistans ascii85rascii117zgan province last month, varioascii117s conflicting reports have emerged regarding the facts sascii117rroascii117nding his death.

'The BBC officially reqascii117ested that [the coalition] inqascii117ires into the cir*****stances of his death and reports the findings to the BBC and to his family as ascii117rgently as possible.'

Khpascii117lwak joined the BBC in May 2008 as a stringer, and also worked for the Telegraph and the Pajhwok Afghan news agency.