Wech Baghtu wedding party airstrike

The Wech Baghtu wedding party airstrike refers to the killing of about 37 Afghan civilians, mostly women and children, and injuring about 27 others by a United States military airstrike on 3 November 2008. The group was celebrating a wedding at a housing complex in the village of Wech Baghtu, a Taliban stronghold in the Shah Wali Kot District of Kandahar province, Afghanistan.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Wech Baghtu wedding party airstrike
Shah Wali Kot Shah Wali Kot (Afghanistan)
Date 3 November 2008 Location Wech Baghtu village, Shah Wali Kot District, Kandahar province, Afghanistan Result 26 insurgents and 37 civilians killed including 23 children, 10 women, and 4 men, another 27 wounded

The airstrike followed a firefight between US troops and Taliban forces stationed on a mountain behind the wedding party.^[1][6][7][8] On 7 November 2008, Afghan officials said a joint investigation found that 37 civilians and 26 insurgents were killed in Wech Baghtu.^[1] Wedding parties in Afghanistan are segregated by sex; of the civilians, 23 were children, 10 were women, and 4 were men. Another 27 persons were injured, including the bride.^{[7][9][10][11][12]} The bombing destroyed the housing complex where women and children had gathered to celebrate.

On 5 November 2008, Afghan President Hamid Karzai responded by demanding that newly-elected US President Barack Obama end civilian deaths, stating, "Our demand is that there will be no civilian casualties in Afghanistan. We cannot win the fight against terrorism with airstrikes – this is my first demand of the new president of the United States – to put an end to civilian casualties."^[13][14][15]

See also

• Haska Meyna wedding party airstrike
• Granai airstrike
• Azizabad airstrike
• Night raid on Narang
• Uruzgan helicopter attack
• Civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan (2001–2021)