Court: Nangar Khel massacre is not war crime

Four Polish soldiers were handed six months to two years in suspended sentences over the Nangar Khel incident by a District Military Court in Warsaw. A prosecutor demanded sentencing the soldiers to 5 to 12 years in prison.

The court has ruled that the incident was not a war crime, but rather a command that was not executed accordingly, with respect to content and proper weapon usage.

In 2007, Polish soldiers opened fire on a wedding in the Afghan village of Nangar Khel, killing eight civilians, including women and children.

In 2011, the Warsaw District Court acquitted seven soldiers for lack of evidence. Following the prosecutor's appeal, the court ordered a re-trial for four of them. It was the first time Polish soldiers had been accused of violating the Hague and Geneva Conventions protecting civilians.