The Hindu : U.S. mission to probe civilian deaths in Afghanistan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 03, 2002

International

International

U.S. mission to probe civilian deaths in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON july 2. The U.S. command in charge of the war in Afghanistan has said it is sending a fact-finding team to investigate what could be one of the war's deadliest attacks on civilians. From its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, the Central Command issued a brief statement that said officials from the U.S. military, the Afghan government and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul would conduct an onsite assessment of the U.S. bombing. It said news reporters would accompany the team.

Afghans said people in the village of Kakarak were firing weapons in the air to celebrate a wedding, as is common in rural Afghanistan, when U.S. planes attacked in the early hours Monday. Estimates of the number killed ranged from dozens to more than 100. They included women and children.

Early reports from Afghanistan suggested the U.S. attackers may have mistaken the celebratory fire for hostile fire, but U.S. military officials at the Pentagon said they had not seen any information to support the idea that American planes had attacked a wedding party.

A Pentagon spokesman said at least three explanations for the casualties appeared possible:

— An Air Force B-52 bomber that attacked a cave complex in the same general area of Uruzgan province reported that one of its bombs went astray. Officials said they could not immediately determine where the errant bomb landed. It was a 900-kg satellite-guided bomb called a GBU-31. Lt. Davis said it was one of seven GBU-31 bombs the B-52 fired at cave and bunker complexes.

— An Air Force AC-130 gunship attacked anti-aircraft artillery emplacements in the same general area. A forward air controller on the ground called for the AC-130 support after reporting fire from the anti-aircraft artillery.

— Some of the anti-aircraft artillery could have fallen back to the ground and caused the casualties, he said.

While providing scant details, the Central Command in its official statement acknowledged that attacks by B-52 and AC-130 aircraft north of the city of Kandahar ``may have resulted in civilian casualties''.

It said four injured Afghan children, ranging in age from eight months to five years, were treated at a U.S. medical facility at Kandahar airport. He said the U.S. military had no firsthand knowledge of civilian deaths.

What had not been immediately reported by the U.S. military was that the B-52 was engaged in an attack on what the Pentagon called known al-Qaeda and Taliban cave and bunker complexes in Uruzgan province.

During that operation, which also involved an undisclosed number of regular and special operations forces on the ground, the U.S. aircraft came under fire from anti-aircraft artillery, it said.

In response, the air controller called for close-air support and the AC-130 opened fire, he said.

— AP

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