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Strike Killed 33 Afghans, U.S. Says

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The Associated Press

Published: October 9, 2008

WASHINGTON - The military said Wednesday that U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan on Aug. 22 killed 33 civilians, far more than it had acknowledged amid Afghan claims of 90 civilian deaths.

A statement released Wednesday by the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East summarized the findings of an investigation. The statement from Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey asserted that despite the civilian deaths, U.S. forces involved in the attack in western Herat province acted based on credible intelligence, in self-defense and in line with their rules of engagement.

"We are deeply saddened at the loss of innocent life in Azizabad," Dempsey said. He blamed the Taliban.

"We go to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties in Afghanistan in all our operations, but as we have seen all too often, this ruthless enemy routinely surround themselves with innocents," he said.

The attack was on a suspected Taliban compound. Dempsey says the investigation also found that 22 insurgents were killed. An initial U.S. investigation had found that up to 35 militants died.

The U.S. military originally said five to seven civilians had died. The Afghan government and the U.N. have said the civilian toll was 90.

The issue of civilian deaths has outraged Afghans and strained relations with foreign forces in Afghanistan to help fight the insurgency. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has warned the United States and NATO that they must stop killing civilians.

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