General visits Afghan bomb site for death claim (Caution: contains graphic pics)

[unhappycamper]

Afghans dig graves for victims after an alleged air strike by U.S forces in Gozara district of Herat province west of Kabul, Afghanistan on Feb. 17. A U.S. general traveled to western Afghanistan on Feb. 18 to investigate claims that six women and two children were killed, officials said.


General visits Afghan bomb site for death claim
By Jason Straziuso - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Feb 18, 2009 20:23:04 EST

KABUL — Responding quickly to another allegation of civilian casualties, a U.S. general traveled to western Afghanistan on Wednesday to investigate claims six women and two children were killed in a U.S. airstrike. Photos of the site showed at least one dead boy, bloodied and dirty from the attack.

Civilian deaths have been a huge source of friction between the U.S. and President Hamid Karzai, who has increased demands that American troops avoid killing civilians in its fight against the Taliban.

President Barack Obama announced Wednesday he was deploying an additional 17,000 U.S. forces to Afghanistan to bolster the 33,000 already in the country. That plan increases the chances that more civilians could be killed.

The Afghan Ministry of Defense condemned the deaths of civilians in Monday’s airstrike and said it came despite a recent U.S.-Afghan agreement to increase participation of Afghan forces in U.S. missions, a step aimed at preventing civilian casualties.

The U.S. coalition said in a statement that the strike Monday in the Gozara district of Herat province killed 15 militants and targeted a leader named Ghulam Yahya Akbari.


Rest of article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/02/ap_afghanistan_bombing_021809/%2e




uhc comment: 'Winning hearts and minds' didn't work very well in Vietnam and it appears they are doing the same thing all over again.