NATO apologizes for Afghan civilian deaths

KABUL. March 3. KAZINFORM The commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan made a rare apology on Wednesday for an air strike that killed nine civilians after Afghan lawmakers warned a spike in such raids was hampering efforts to end the war against the Taleban; Kazinform refers to Arab News.

US Army Gen. David Petraeus ordered all military commanders and attack helicopter crews to be re-briefed on the rules for carrying out air raids after a spate of recent civilian casualty incidents in the east. Members of Parliament angrily denounced two recent NATO strikes in eastern Kunar province in which they said more than 73 civilians were killed, about half of them children, and called on Petraeus to explain.

NATO recognized civilian casualties as a strategic problem, undermining the support of ordinary Afghans for the decade-long war against the insurgents.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has a testy relationship with his Western backers, also condemned what he called the "daily" killings of innocent Afghans in foreign air strikes. He described as "merciless" the latest incident in Kunar, in which nine children were reported killed.

Petraeus said the 150,000-strong International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) took "full responsibility" for the deaths, adding disciplinary action would be taken if warranted.

"We are deeply sorry for this tragedy and apologize to the members of the Afghan government, the people of Afghanistan and most importantly, the surviving family members of those killed by our actions," Petraeus said.

"These deaths should have never happened and I will personally apologize to President Karzai when he returns from his trip to London this week."

Civilian casualties caused by NATO-led and Afghan forces hunting insurgents have become a great source of friction between Karzai and Washington but UN figures show insurgents are responsible for more than three-quarters of the total.

Tension has grown steadily over the past two years as foreign troops have stepped up operations against a growing Taleban-led insurgency, mainly in the south and east.

ISAF commanders have issued directives over the past two years tightening the rules governing air strikes and night raids, leading to a drop in civilian casualties caused by their troops; Kazinform cites Arab News.

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