33 Afghan Civilians Killed in Air Strike

Wounded Afghan woman Zinat Gul is treated after she was injured in US-led air strikes in Azizabad.
Photo AFP

Military Probe Finds 33 Civilians Killed In Afghan Air Strike -- AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) — A US military investigation has concluded that at least 33 civilians, including a dozen children, were killed in an air strike August 22 in western Afghanistan, a summary of the findings released Wednesday said.

The investigation by Brigadier General Michael Callan also found that US forces acted in self-defense, in keeping with their rules of engagement and the law of war.

The toll was far higher than the five to seven civilians that the military has long insisted were killed in the fighting, but well short of the 90 civilian dead claimed by the Afghan government.

"Our investigation determined approximately 55 persons were killed (33 civilian and 22 anti-coalition militants)," the executive summary of the investigation report said.

Investigators were able to identify or discern the bodies of eight men, three women and 12 children in videos of bodies laid out for burial in the village mosque the day after the fighting, the report said.

The incident has brought angry recriminations from Afghan President Hamid Karzai and added to fears that support for the US military presence in Afghanistan is being undermined by repeated cases of civilian casualties.

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My Comment: The innocent are always the ones who suffer the most.