US military admits killing more civilians (including children) in Afghanistan

A February 22, 2009n quqnoos.com report said that an occupation forces investigation team confirms killing 13 non-combatants in a US-led air strike in the west of Afghanistan, the previous week.
The US military officials have confirmed the death of more than a dozen of civilians in an air assault in the western province of Herat, a US forces statement declared.
Previously, the US military only mentioned 15 Taliban insurgents as casualty. But, a following investigation by the US forces and an Afghan National Army (ANA) team, it was proved the civilian death toll included six women and two children.
Only three insurgents are reported to be killed in the air assault.
“We express our condolences to the survivors of the non-combatants who were killed during this operation,” the statement quoted Brig. Gen. Michael Ryan, a top US military official in Afghanistan.
A US press release declared that a local commander of the Gulbudin Hikmatyar-led Hizb-e Islami was killed in the operation.
The incident took place in the province’s central district of Guzara. Locals say that all the victims are nomads who were temporarily settled in the district.
Mounting civilian casualties have recently provoked the relations between the Afghan authorities and the United States government.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly called for an orientated and well coordinated air strikes led by the US troops.
President Karzai has frequently warned the international community’s failure if the mounting civilian casualties maintain.
The United Nations has raised its concern over the rising civilian casualties in Afghanistan.
A UN statement declares a 40 per cent increase in the tool of the civilians killed in this country this year including more than 550 non-combatants death in the U.S. and NATO air strikes.

Source: quqnoos.com