Originally published Friday, July 25, 2008 at 12:00 AM
U.S. airstrikes under scrutiny in Afghanistan
U.S. and NATO military officials in Afghanistan have launched investigations into three separate U.S.-led airstrikes that Afghan officials...
The Washington Post
KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. and NATO military officials in Afghanistan have launched investigations into three separate U.S.-led airstrikes that Afghan officials say killed at least 78 civilians this month.
The investigations come during what U.N. and Afghan officials say is one of the deadliest years for civilians since the war began. In the first six months of this year, the number of civilians killed in fighting has increased by nearly 40 percent over the same period last year, according to U.N. data.
"We have seen a number of occurrences lately where a large number of civilians have been killed. It would be fair to say that this year so far there has been an increase in the number of civilians killed by all sides," said Dan McNorton, a spokesman for the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
More than half of those killed in the three recent U.S.-led airstrikes, which occurred within three weeks of each other in separate provinces, were women and children, according to Afghan and Western officials. In one case, an estimated 47 women and children in a wedding party were killed.
The death toll from Western airstrikes has renewed political furor over foreign military operations in Afghanistan at a time when the Taliban insurgency is intensifying.
NATO protocols require high-level approval for airstrikes when civilians are known to be at or near Taliban targets. Military officials say insurgent fighters commonly take up positions in civilians' homes, mosques or even schools — increasing the chances of civilian casualties. Those casualties, in turn, help the Taliban win the sympathies of locals and draw new recruits.
The first airstrike under investigation took place July 4 in Zoomia Bala village in the province of Nuristan. Two U.S. helicopters unleashed missiles and gunfire on a pair of vehicles fleeing an area near a NATO and Afghan military base shortly before an attack, according to a confidential cable about the incident sent by the European Union delegation in Kabul to its member states. At least 16 civilians were killed, according to Afghan media reports and interviews conducted with the EU delegation. Nuristan's governor, Tamim Nuristani, said at the time that 22 civilians were killed. He was fired by Karzai days later.
The second airstrike, which took place the morning of July 6 in the eastern province of Nangahar, claimed the lives of members of the wedding party, according to Afghan and Western officials. A Western official in Afghanistan familiar with details of the aerial assault, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said U.S. forces dropped bombs on the party as it traveled through an open area, where presumably it would have been easier for the air-attack coordinator or the pilot to determine whether those in the party were civilians, not Taliban fighters.
The third incident occurred Sunday in the province of Farah. At least eight Afghan police officers were killed when a convoy of U.S. and Afghan soldiers mistakenly called in an airstrike on the officers' location, according to statement by U.S. military officials.
An estimated 698 civilians were killed in the first six months of this year, compared with 430 during the same period last year, the United Nations says. Of those, 255 were killed by NATO forces.
According to a count in a forthcoming report from Human Rights Watch, airstrikes alone have been responsible for 119 civilian deaths this year.
Civilian casualties from airstrikes are a persistent issue in a war where low NATO troop numbers combine with difficult or even impassable terrain to create heavy dependency on air power.
![]()
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Pakistan needs to do more to prevent Taliban militants from launching attacks into Afghanistan from its territory.
Speaking today in Australia, Rice suggested that a surge in Taliban-related violence in Afghanistan had its source in the restive semiautonomous border tribal areas.
"We understand that it's difficult, we understand that the northwest frontier area is difficult, but militants cannot be allowed to organize there and to plan there and to engage across the border," Rice said.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Obama warns of 'difficult' days in Iraq, pledges support for troops
Top Iran clerics decry election, defy supreme leader
Sailor recounts girl's rescue after plane crash
Obituary: Beijing opera singer inspired 'Madame Butterfly'
Bill fails to focus on cutting oil use

Tribal Fireworks Rivalry
The Fourth of July marks a long-standing fireworks rivalry between two clans of a Native-American family in Suquamish.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sports car/coupe? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Palin takes to Web for hints of political future
- Fourth of July festivals and fireworks in Seattle, the suburbs and beyond
- Russell Branyan, Mariners fight off the Red Sox
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- The Blotter | Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
- Desert-lobster dispute turns pair into sagebrush heroes
- Close-up | Prison guards intercept carrier pigeon with a cellphone
- Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
- Rob Johnson's double in 11th powers Mariners past Red Sox, 7-6
- Palin resigning as Alaska governor
756 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/04 game thread
244 - Reports: NKorean missile arrives at launch site
100 - Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
99 - Palin's Declaration of Independence
73 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
62 - Former NFL MVP McNair killed
58 - Mariners score unlikely win over Red Sox in battle of bullpens
58 - Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
42 - Plasma and LED beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
28
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition
- Close-up | Prison guards intercept carrier pigeon with a cellphone
- Pre-grill drill: marinate steaks
- Concert Review | Green Day blasts off 4th weekend with KeyArena show
- Lake Washington's sockeye run may hit a record low
- Yakima teacher reprimanded for sending 5-year-old student home with bag of feces in backpack
- Art and conversation flow from hands and heart of artist Mandy Greer
- Fire danger already here in parched NW forests
- Amtrak cleared for 2nd daily train to Vancouver, B.C.








