US Commander in Afghanistan to Review Strategy to Reduce Civilian Casualties
By VOA News
12 June 2009
The new commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan says he will review strategy in an effort to reduce civilian casualties.
U.S. General Stanley McChrystal said in an interview with the BBC he will review rules of engagement with the emphasis on protecting civilians from both "the enemy and from unintended consequences of our operation."
He spoke a day after NATO said two Afghan civilians were killed when its forces fired mortars at attacking militants in the Chapa Dara district of Kunar province.
In other developments, the commander of U.S. forces in South Asia and the Middle East says last week was the most violent in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. General David Petraeus said Thursday violence will likely increase as international forces attack militant sanctuaries and safe havens.
A NATO report says insurgent attacks between January and May were up by nearly 60 percent from the same period a year earlier.
General Petraeus said the deployment of additional U.S. forces in Afghanistan should improve the security situation. But he said a broader civilian effort is needed to make the gains permanent.
U.S. President Barack Obama has pledged 21,000 additional troops to fight the growing Taliban insurgency, particularly in southern Afghanistan.
Friday, Britain's Ministry of Defense said a British soldier was killed a day earlier in a blast near the southern city of Kandahar.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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