World | Afghanistan

Afghan officials: US missiles killed 27 civilians

Afghan officials said fighter aircraft battling militants accidentally killed up to 27 Afghans walking to a wedding ceremony in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, the second military attack in three days with reports of civilian deaths.

  • AP
  • Published: 08:16 July 7, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: AP
  • President Hamid Karzai ordered an investigation into allegations that missiles from US helicopters struck civilians on Friday in eastern Afghanistan.

Kabul: Afghan officials said fighter aircraft battling militants accidentally killed up to 27 Afghans walking to a wedding ceremony in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, the second military attack in three days with reports of civilian deaths.

The US military blamed the claims on militant propaganda and said its missiles only struck insurgents.

President Hamid Karzai had already ordered an investigation into allegations that missiles from US helicopters struck civilians on Friday in eastern Afghanistan, though the Defence Ministry said Sunday that attack on the Nuristan-Kunar border killed or wounded 20 militants.

US Army General David D. McKiernan, the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, said on Sunday that the two incidents were being investigated. He noted that militants hide among and intimidate civilians.

Related Links

Afghanistan

  1. Afghan child labour may rise as aid dried up

  2. People smugglers

  3. Rebels 'to retake Kabul after Nato withdrawal'

  4. Afghan woman killed for giving birth to girl

  5. Afghan woman killed, apparently for bearing girl

  6. Britain sticks to 2014 pull-out

  7. It's a new start for Afghanistan

  8. Afghans hit by rising food prices

All articles in Afghanistan

More from World

Gulf News
Popular in World

More from world

News Editor's choice