Military

DATE=2/22/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=AFGHAN / PENTAGON (L ONLY)

NUMBER=2-

BYLINE=ALEX BELIDA

DATELINE=PENTAGON

CONTENT=

INTRO: A U-S military investigation into a controversial raid last month in Afghanistan concludes there were no errors, even though 16 friendly Afghans were killed. More from V-O-A Pentagon Correspondent Alex Belida.

TEXT: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the intelligence was "persuasive and compelling" -- but not clear-cut enough to let U-S warplanes simply bomb the suspected al-Qaida or Taleban facilities.

So U-S ground troops were sent in to two compounds near Hazar Qadam north of Kandahar last month --- an action that ultimately saw 16 Afghans killed and 27 others taken into custody.

Now, U-S authorities have acknowledged they were friendly Afghan forces, not the enemy.

Despite this, an unclassified summary of the military's investigation into the controversial raid obtained Friday by V-O-A says --- quoting now --- "there were no systemic errors in the targeting process, mission planning or mission execution."

The report echoed Mr. Rumsfeld's public comments on Thursday, when he told journalists the raid could not be characterized as a mistake. He also declined to offer any apologies and said there was no reason for any disciplinary action to be taken against the U-S troops involved in the attack.

Nevertheless, some disgruntled Pentagon officials tell V-O-A the decision to send in ground troops as opposed to simply bombing the target is an indication there must have been doubts about the intelligence gathered ahead of the mission.

The investigation report suggests there were none, however. It says the Hazar Qadam compounds were the subject of what is termed "the most thorough intelligence collection efforts." It says the targets were monitored for an extended period. It says the monitoring produced what are described as significant indicators suggesting the compounds were used for military purposes by the leadership of al-Qaida and the Taleban.

The report concludes by says the nature of the war on terrorism in Afghanistan makes distinguishing friend from foe very difficult. (Signed)

NEB/BEL/KBK