U.S. investigates a bombing with 90 Afghan civilians killedKABUL: U.S. forces opened a new investigation into one of its airstrikes in Afghanistan which, according to Kabul and the UN, killed 90 civilians, in what could be the most tragic mistake of the coalition in seven years, military sources announced United States on Monday in Kabul.
The emergence of new evidence-including a video showing the bodies of 30 civilians, including several children, forced to reconsider the case so far when the coalition led by the United States had rejected the accusations.
On Tuesday the coalition released the results of an internal investigation that died in the attack "from five to seven" civilians and 30 to 35 Taliban.
However, this Monday the U.S. Central Command acceded to the request of General David McKiernan to re-investigate the case "in view of new evidence relating to civilian victims of the rebellion of anti operation on August 22 in the district of Shindand , In Herat province. " McKiernan heads the ISAF to assist the Security (ISAF) led by NATO, working in conjunction with the coalition led by the United States, but it is the oldest U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
The Central Command, based in Florida, announced in a statement issued in Kabul "the appointment of a high-ranking officer to review" the case, take into account "the new information provided after the conclusion of the initial investigation."
The "new information" refers in particular to a video filmed with a mobile phone by a resident of the village attacked, said the spokesman for ISAF, General Richard Blanchette. The images, which AFP saw, show at least 30 bodies wrapped in shrouds or covered by blankets in a mosque. In the video some of the blankets were lifted to show several children, some very young age, and one with the back of the skull shattered.
According to the results of an investigation ordered by the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, the attack killed 50 children under 15 years, 19 women and several men. A UN investigation reached a similar conclusion but U.S. officials expressed doubts citing lack of evidence. "The UN maintains its conclusions," the spokesman said on Monday its representation in Kabul, Adrian Edwards.
Following the incident, Karzai said his willingness to renegotiate the rules of the presence of international troops in Afghanistan.
The figure for civilian deaths caused by the bombing of the international troops in Afghanistan nearly tripled between 2006 and 2007 warned on Monday the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) in Kabul. "The mistakes of U.S. and NATO have fallen drastically public support for the Afghan government and the presence of international forces," said HRW director for Asia, Brad Adams. HRW criticised the "most victims by air strikes may occur in these poor planning."
The organization describes investigations initiated by the U.S. military to clarify the origin of some of these attacks "unilateral, slow and lacking in transparency," which has undermined relations with local populations and with the Afghan government.
