U.S.: 13 civilians died in coalition operation

[unhappycamper]

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press from the strike site in Herat province, Afghans dig graves for the victims who the villagers said were killed Feb. 17 in an airstrike in Gozara district of Herat province, west of Kabul. U.S. Brig. Gen. Michael Ryan traveled to western Afghanistan on Feb. 18 to investigate claims that six women and two children were killed in a U.S. airstrike, officials said, and the U.S. said Feb. 21 that 13 civilians were among the dead.


U.S.: 13 civilians died in coalition operation
By Jason Straziuso - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Feb 21, 2009 14:16:58 EST

KABUL — An operation the American military at first described as a “precision strike” instead killed 13 Afghan civilians and only three militants, the U.S. said Saturday, three days after sending a general to the site to investigate.

Civilian casualties have been a huge source of friction between the U.S. and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has stepped up demands that U.S. and NATO operations kill no civilians and that Afghan soldiers take part in missions to help prevent unwanted deaths.

A U.S. military statement said the decision to dispatch a general to the western province of Herat to investigate shows how seriously the U.S. takes civilian casualties. The U.S. rarely releases the findings of civilian casualty investigations, and the disclosure this time could show the effect of Karzai’s criticisms.

The U.S. military originally said 15 militants were killed Tuesday in a coalition operation in the Gozara district of Herat province, but Afghan officials said six women and two children were among the dead, casting doubt on the U.S. claim.

Afghan officials say the group targeted in the airstrikes were living in two tents in a remote area. An ethnic group of Afghans known as Kuchis travel the countryside with livestock and live in tents. Photographs obtained by The Associated Press from the site showed the body of a dead young boy — bloodied and dirtied.


Rest of article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/02/ap_afghanistan_civilians_022109/%2e

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. How many millions did it take to kill these civilians? Just look at

these people.... my god.