Afghans Say US-Taliban Battle Near Wedding Party Kills 37 People
By VOA News
05 November 2008
Afghan villagers say at least 37 people were killed, including members of a wedding party, when U.S. warplanes bombed a village in southern Afghanistan.
Witnesses say U.S. forces called in air strikes Monday during a battle with Taliban militants near a village in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province. They say the warplanes bombed a nearby housing complex where villagers had been celebrating a wedding.
Villagers say the bride was among several people who were wounded and taken to a hospital in Kandahar city. Kandahar Governor Rahmatullah Raufi says civilians were killed in the fighting but gave no figures.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai called Wednesday on U.S. President-elect Barack Obama to put a stop to civilian casualties resulting from U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan.
The U.S. military says it is investigating casualty reports from Monday's battle. A military spokesman offered condolences and apologies if innocent people were killed.
Residents say U.S. troops entered the village late Monday in a search of militants and detained several men.
U.S. and NATO-led operations against militants in Afghanistan have caused scores of civilian deaths this year, prompting growing criticism from Mr. Karzai's government.
Speaking to reporters in Kabul Wednesday, the Afghan president called for a change in the U.S. strategy for fighting terrorism.
NATO and U.S.-led coalition forces say they do their utmost to avoid civilian casualties, but they say mistakes do happen.
U.S. Central Command chief General David Petraeus arrived in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Tuesday to assess efforts to combat growing insurgent violence in Afghanistan.
It is the general's first trip to Afghanistan since he took command of all U.S. military forces in the Middle East and Central Asia last week.
In another development, Britain's defense ministry says a British solider was killed by enemy fire Tuesday in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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