Polish soldiers to stand trial for death of Afghans

The case relates to a situation which took place in August in Afghanistan in a small village where they participated in an attack against the Taliban. During the fighting eight civilians died after the Polish soldiers fired a mortar. After the tragedy the Defense Ministry flew three wounded women for treatment to Poland. The soldiers reached to an agreement with the authorities of the village, so that there would be no revenge from the Afghans. The prosecutor has evidence that the use of the mortar was not justified. There is speculation that the attack was to avenge the death of a Polish soldier two days earlier. "I want to believe that this was an accident. A court will decide on the guilt or innocence of the soldiers," said Defense Minister Aleksander Szczygło. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 1; Dziennik, p. 1; Rzeczpospolita, p. A1) A.K.