US-led forces probe Afghan civilian deaths

By Sayed Salahuddin

KABUL (Reuters) – U.S.-led coalition forces have launched
an investigation into the deaths of seven Afghan civilians
during an offensive against Taliban and other militants in the
east of the country over the weekend, a statement said.

Coalition forces used warplanes and artillery to flush out
a group of eight to 10 suspected insurgents from a house and a
cave in Kunar province, the U.S. military said in a statement
late on Sunday.

“After the battle, coalition forces determined that
civilians had been caught in the fire. Initial reports indicate
that seven civilians were killed and three were wounded near
the fighting,” it said, adding an investigation was underway.

Residents of Kunar said that 10 civilians were killed in
Saturday’s bombing by U.S.-led troops.

The operations in Kunar and in the southern province of
Kandahar were launched after a surge of attacks on Afghan and
foreign forces since the Taliban announced a spring offensive
last month.

The U.S. military said a separate investigation had been
launched after the Afghan National Police reported it had
suffered casualties, possibly due to friendly fire, during an
operation with U.S. forces against the militants near Kandahar.

“We are investigating the incident and we will work jointly
with the government of Afghanistan to determine the events that
took place during this fight,” Brigadier General David Fraser,
commander of the multinational brigade for the south, said in a
statement on Monday.

Afghan forces and coalition helicopter gunships had killed
41 militants in a fierce battle during a raid on a suspected
Taliban hide-out in Kandahar province, the governor said. But
the Taliban denied the claim.

U.S.-led troops overthrew the Taliban government in Kabul
after its leaders refused to hand over al Qaeda chief Osama bin
Laden, architect of the September 11 attacks on the United
States.

Afghans say thousands of civilians have been killed in the
coalition operations against the insurgents since then.