Airstrike kills Afghan civilians 'by mistake'
Updated on 22 February 2010
A Nato bombing in southern Afghanistan has killed at least 27 innocent people after an aircraft fired on civilians by mistake in the hunt for Taliban rebel fighters.
The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has confirmed civilians were killed during an operation in Uruzgan province on Sunday, but did not say how many.
An investigation is under way against a backdrop of growing anger at the number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan due to operations by US and UK troops.
Two big offensives have been launched in the past eight months to try to crush the Taliban-led insurgency.
The latest deaths, of mainly women and children, were not connected to Operation Moshtarak.
A statement from Nato's commander, US General Stanley McChrystal, reads: "We are extremely saddened by the tragic loss of innocent lives.
"I have made it clear to our forces that we are here to protect the Afghan people, and inadvertently killing or injuring civilians undermines their trust and confidence in our mission.
"We will re-double our efforts to regain that trust."
Zamari Bashary, a spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry, said 21 civilians were killed and 11 wounded, including women and children. It is feared the death toll could rise.
"ISAF troops were suspicious that several civilian vehicles contained insurgents and bombed them," Bashary said.
A group of suspected insurgents, believed to be en route to attack a joint Afghan-Isaf unit, were attacked by an airborne weapons team.
When the joint ground force arrived at the scene they found injured women and children, who were then transported to medical treatment facilities.
General McChrystal spoke alongside Afghanistan's President Karzai to expressed his sorrow and regret.
