Mehtarlam, Afghanistan – Hundreds of Afghans took to the streets on Dec. 8 to protest the killings of 15 civilians by U.S. forces during an overnight raid on Armal village.

According to reports, the protesters carried the bodies of the dead Afghan civilians and laid them in front of the occupation governor's house. Fearing the angry protestors, pro-occupation soldiers in the Afghan National Army began firing in the air. Reports indicate that a protester was killed by the shooting and a child was wounded, while other protesters were beaten by occupation soldiers. ( 'Civilian deaths touch off anti-US protest in Laghman – Afghanistan', RAWA News, 12-08-09)

The killings of the 15 Afghan civilians by U.S. military forces came on the same day that Admiral Mike Mullen, the highest-ranking U.S. military officer, admitted that the United States is “losing the war in Afghanistan.”

“We are not winning, which means we are losing and as we are losing, the message traffic out there to [insurgency] recruits keeps getting better and better and more keep coming,” Mullen told a group of Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, who are weeks away from deploying to Afghanistan. ( 'Adm Mike Mullen: US is losing war in Afghanistan', Telegraph, 12/08/09)

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan estimates that at least 1500 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan this year. As more Afghans are killed by occupying forces, the Afghan resistance movement for national independence continues to grow in strength, numbers and influence.

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