Afghans blame US raids for death of civilians

Kabul: Sobbing relatives showed US and Afghan investigators the demolished buildings and graves in two western villages where a local official said on Thursday he collected the names of 147 people killed in a disputed incident involving American forces and Taliban militants.

If local reports of the death toll are confirmed, it would be the deadliest case of civilian casualties in Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion that ousted the Taliban regime.

Afghans blamed US bombing raids for the deaths in the villages of Ganjabad and Gerani. In the capital of Farah province, where the fighting took place, some 150 stone-throwing protesters shouted "Death to America" and clashed with police.

Abdul Basir Khan, a member of Farah's provincial council who said he helped the joint delegation from Kabul with their examination on Thursday, said he collected names of 147 dead - 55 at one site and 92 at another.

He said villagers told investigators that many of the dead were buried in mass graves of 20 or so people. Crying family members angrily showed investigators bombed-out buildings and lines of graves.

The international Red Cross has said that women and children were among dozens of dead people its teams saw in two villages, where houses lay in ruin following the bombing.

What happened remained a matter of dispute.

US forces ordered airstrikes on Taliban militants after a firefight, but Afghan officials say the bombs killed civilians who were hiding in their homes.