Afghan Civilian Deaths Confirmed
The US Military has confirmed an undetermined number of civilians were killed in air strikes led by joint Afghan and US troops against the Taliban on Monday. Afghan officials estimate the number of civilian casualties at 147, but so far neither the US nor Afghan forces have taken responsibility for the deaths. Human Rights Watch has called the attack “the largest and most tragic loss of life to U.S. bombs so far in Afghanistan.”
AP:
The preliminary report said Taliban fighters herded Afghan villagers into houses to use as human shields while they fired on coalition forces in two villages in Farah. The report said that U.S. forces had responded to a call for help from Afghan forces and that militants attacked the troops from several locations.
Troops called for airstrikes on the militant positions, and a U.S. spokeswoman said Saturday that fighter aircraft made 13 passes over the two villages, using a combination of flares, strafing runs and bombs.