US and Czech troops in Afghanistan are under investigation for allegedly beating an Afghan Commando to death, the New York Times reported on Monday.
The 19-year-old commando, Wahidullah Khan, was in NATO custody after he was arrested for an insider attack against Czech soldiers at Shindand air base in western Herat province on October 22, the NYT reported.
The attack at Shindand resulted in the death of Czech Cpl. Tomáš Procházka, 42, and wounded two other Czech soldiers.
Wahidullah, was arrested for the attack within hours by Afghan troops who then transferred him to NATO custody, according to the New York Times.
Afghan officials told The Times that Wahidullah was returned to them later that evening, around midnight, beaten and unconscious. He died a short time later.
According to The Times, Col. Dave Butler, a spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan said in a statement on Monday that the American military “will investigate to determine whether any potential misconduct occurred, and we will hold individuals accountable, as appropriate.’’
However, the Czech defense ministry denied the allegations.
The Times reported that Jan Pejsek, a spokesman for the Czech Ministry of Defense, said in an email “we strongly deny any such accusations” that Czech troops were involved in Khan’s death.
“There is an ongoing standard investigation regarding the insider attack incident. All respective parties are involved in the procedures,” Pejsek told The Times.
