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Afghanistan: 40 civilians killed in US strike
At least 40 Afghan civilians were killed in air strikes on Tuesday, adding to the mounting death toll from the escalation of US operations in the country. The latest incident occurred in the Sangin district of the southern province of Helmand, the scene of stepped-up US and NATO attacks in recent months.
Earlier reports put the civilian death toll at 21, according to the governor of Helmand, Assadullah Wafa. Reuters reported the larger figure on Thursday, citing eyewitness accounts.
As usual, the US initially claimed that all of those killed were Taliban fighters. This latest incident, however, appears to have followed a pattern repeated in other areas recently. According to military spokesman, US forces came under attack while patrolling in the area, and one US soldier died in the fighting. The embattled patrol responded by calling in air support, which carried out indiscriminate bombing raids, including on local villages.
Major William Mitchell, a spokesman for the US-led coalition troops in Afghanistan, claimed Wednesday, “We don’t have any report of civilian casualties.” Sergeant Dean Welch, a US spokesman at the Bagram Air Force base, acknowledged there were such reports, but said they were not “confirmed.”
More
http://wsws.org/articles/2007/may2007/afgh-m11.shtml
As usual, the US initially claimed that all of those killed were Taliban fighters. This latest incident, however, appears to have followed a pattern repeated in other areas recently. According to military spokesman, US forces came under attack while patrolling in the area, and one US soldier died in the fighting. The embattled patrol responded by calling in air support, which carried out indiscriminate bombing raids, including on local villages.
Major William Mitchell, a spokesman for the US-led coalition troops in Afghanistan, claimed Wednesday, “We don’t have any report of civilian casualties.” Sergeant Dean Welch, a US spokesman at the Bagram Air Force base, acknowledged there were such reports, but said they were not “confirmed.”
More
http://wsws.org/articles/2007/may2007/afgh-m11.shtml
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