Afghan Villagers Angry Over US Raid

BAND TAIMORE, Afghanistan (AP) -- Officials and elders from a sand-blown village deep in the deserts of southwestern Afghanistan expressed anger Sunday over a raid by U.S.-led coalition forces seeking Taliban or al-Qaida supporters.

Residents of Band Taimore said soldiers in four helicopters swooped down on their homes shortly after midnight Friday, blowing holes with explosives in the high walls that surround Afghan homes and throwing stun grenades inside. Some 50 men were taken away, they said.

The timing and details of the action matched an operation announced Friday by the U.S. military which said it had captured 50 people about 48 miles west of Kandahar -- roughly the location of Band Taimore. However, it did not name the location and said intelligence suggested a compound there was used to harbor senior al-Qaida and Taliban leaders -- a charge denied by the villagers.