By NNN-Bernama,
Melbourne : The Australian government is considering compensating the family of an Afghan district governor shot dead in a confused gunfight involving Australian special forces troops, the Australian Associated Press reports.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has yet to officially acknowledge that Chora district governor and tribal leader Rozi Khan died from shots fired by Australian soldiers.
But defence head Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said this week it certainly looked that way.
Vice Chief of the Defence Force Lieutenant General David Hurley today said an investigation had been conducted into the incident which occurred in the town of Tarin Kowt on September 18.
“The government will consider making an act of grace payment to his family,” he told reporters.
“We will work that through with the local community but I think an act of grace payment would be part of it.”
Lt Gen Hurley declined to disclose the size of the potential payment.
He said doing so could threaten the rest of the family.
In the incident, Australian soldiers came under fire and fired back in self defence within the terms of their rules of engagement, Defence says.
News reports indicated Governor Khan and his bodyguards were mistaken for Taliban insurgents.