Military

DATE= 12/9/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=PENTAGON/AFGHANISTAN (S ONLY)

NUMBER=2-310686

BYLINE=ALEX BELIDA

DATELINE=PENTAGON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The U-S military now says it is not sure that it killed a Taleban militant targeted in an airstrike that left nine children dead in Afghanistan. More from V-O-A Correspondent Alex Belida at the Pentagon.

TEXT: General Richard Myers, Chairman of the U-S military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, says it is unclear whether Taleban terrorist suspect Mullah Wazir was killed in an airstrike Saturday that was aimed at him.

Nine Afghan children were accidentally killed in the attack in a remote part of southern Ghazni province. U-S officials initially said Mullah Wazir also died but some Afghans in the area disputed that claim.

General Myers and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are both expressing regret over the accidental deaths. General Myers says U-S forces continue to work hard to avoid killing civilians. He says planning for attacks like the one that targeted Mullah Wazir is highly detailed. But he acknowledges the process is not perfect. (Signed)

NEB/BEL/PT