US-led forces probe Afghan civilian deaths
Posted on: Monday, 17 April 2006, 00:24 CDT
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.
Source: REUTERS
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