US admits civilians killed in air strikes

The US military was reportedly responsible for the deaths of at least some of the 100-plus civilians killed in air strikes in Afghanistan.

US military and Afghan government investigators are examining the incident in the Farah province in the west of the country when Afghan forces called for US assistance amid fierce fighting with the Taliban. The report, scheduled for release yesterday, was postponed to include the results of a separate investigation ordered by President Hamid Karzai.

According to newspaper and television reports, US officials have acknowledged a preliminary investigation showed US ariel bombardments did result in the deaths of civilians. Initial US military reports that some civilian deaths might have been caused by Taliban grenades rather than American air strikes were "thinly sourced", a Pentagon official was cited as saying in the New York Times. "It looks like at least some of the casualties were caused by the air strikes. It wouldn't surprise me if it was a mix," he told the newspaper.

Police claim more than 100 people, about 70 of whom were civilians, died in the attacks on two villages on Monday and Tuesday. Afghan media reports have put that number of dead as high as 170, while village leaders say they have put together a list of 147 people they say were killed in the attacks. Fighting broke out in the area after insurgents executed three civilians on charges of spying and the Afghan government sought US military assistance.

Col Gregory Julian, a spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said reports that American air strikes had killed more than 100 people were "grossly exaggerated". Civilian casualties are an issue of friction and the strikes caused unrest in Afghanistan. Hundreds of protesters have rallied against last week's killings, demanding US troops leave the country. The incident overshadowed Mr Karzai's meeting with Barack Obama in Washington yesterday.