A U.N. team investigating the death of a Taliban commander has found evidence that the man may have been deliberately targeted, the U.K. Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
The mission to verify and assess the findings of the team was launched on Monday, the Ministry said.
“It is clear from the evidence that, as the investigation progressed, the commander may have fallen into the wrong hands,” the ministry said in a statement.
The spokesman, Col. Stephen O’Brien, said the mission was “well advanced.”
The Taliban claim responsibility for the killing.
The U.NSIC team was tasked with gathering “all relevant evidence and information” on the incident.
O’Connell said the team had been tasked with examining the scene of the airstrike, “to verify the facts surrounding the killing of Abdul Jameel and the resulting injuries.”
The U,N.
experts were “well aware of the fact that, under certain circumstances, we may have to resort to armed force,” O’Connor said.
The Taliban have denied responsibility for Jameels death.
The State Department said in an emailed statement that it was aware of what happened and was in contact with U.B.N.’s mission.
“We have always emphasized to the Taliban that any actions they take to harm civilians or civilian infrastructure, which include bombing, must be condemned,” the statement said.
An official with the U.,N.
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said the UBN was not involved in the investigation.
“This is an unfortunate incident,” the official told The Associated Press.
The incident comes just days after U.U.S.-led forces carried out a second airstrike against the Taliban in the country’s northwest.
The two strikes hit a building, a mosque and a house, killing an estimated 90 people and injuring dozens more, the military said in its first official statement.
U.P. said it would review the latest incident with the government and investigate further.