World | Afghanistan

US accepts blame for deaths of 26 Afghan civilians

The United States accidentally killed an estimated 26 Afghan civilians last month when a warplane did not follow bombing rules, the US military concluded in a report that recommends even tighter controls to limit deaths that risk turning Afghans against the US war effort.

  • AP
  • Published: 09:46 June 20, 2009
  • Gulf News

Washington: The United States accidentally killed an estimated 26 Afghan civilians last month when a warplane did not follow bombing rules, the US military concluded in a report that recommends even tighter controls to limit deaths that risk turning Afghans against the US war effort.

"The inability to discern the presence of civilians and assess the potential collateral damage of those strikes is inconsistent with the US government's objective of providing security and safety for the Afghan people," the report prepared by US Central Command said.

Three US airstrikes conducted after dark near the close of the chaotic fight in the western Farah province probably accounted for the civilian deaths, according to the report released on Friday. It contained only mild criticism of the B-1 bomber crew involved, however, and the top US military official has already said there is no reason to punish any US personnel.

Local Afghan officials have said as many as 140 people were killed, and the US report did not rule out that its estimate is low. An exact accounting will be impossible, the report said. It concluded that at least 78 Taliban fighters were also killed, along with five Afghan national police officers. Two US personnel and seven Afghan security officers were wounded.

  • Rate this article
  • Average reader rating (0 votes) 0 Stars
Tools

Emailing an article to friend is a simple way to share a news item. Your friend will receive an email with your name and email address as well any personal message you choose to send.

The information you provide on this page will not be used to send unsolicited emails.

This service is not intended to encourage spam, and action may be taken against individuals who maliciously enter personal details of another individual.

Share this article

Afghanistan

  1. Japan pledges $5b aid for troubled Afghanistan

  2. Afghanistan commander calls for staying the course

  3. Karzai: Corrupt ones not in new government

  4. Nato strike kills 7 at coalition base

  5. Afghan soldiers killed by NATO airstrike

  6. Two members of Nato's Afghan forces missing

  7. Brown warns Afghanistan to stamp out corruption

  8. UN pulls half its staff out of Afghanistan

All articles in Afghanistan

More from World

Gulf News
Popular in World

More from world

News Editor's choice