Afghans claim torture during U.S. sweeps
Thursday, 30-Oct-2003

KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct 30 (UPI) -- At least 50 Afghan villagers claim to have been beaten and tortured during U.S. security sweeps for Taliban members, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The group said Afghan militia fighters working as guides for U.S. troops went on a spree of looting, beatings and torture in the village of Dai Chopan during a military sweep last week.

None of the villagers said U.S. forces witnessed the assaults or thefts, and a U.S. military spokesman said he had no reports of unprofessional conduct by militias operating under U.S. control.

The militiamen, loyal to warlords in Kandahar complain their commanders rarely pay them, and were apparently intent on seizing whatever they could from people living in what they regard as hostile territory.

Dai Chopan is a remote village of about 5,000 people spread across several square miles in the barren mountains of southeastern Afghanistans Zabol province. Taliban forces have launched repeated attacks in the area in recent months, killing aid workers, U.S. and Afghan soldiers.