6 May 2009

US air strikes kill dozens of Afghan civilians

US-led air strikes have killed dozens of Afghan people, the Red Cross said today as the Pentagon launched a joint investigation into what appeared one of the deadliest incidents and heaviest civilian losses so far at the hands of coalition forces.

An injured Afghan child at the hospital in Farah province

Rohul Amin, the governor of Farah province in west Afghanistan, where the bombing took place during a battle on Monday and Tuesday, said he feared 100 civilians had been killed.

The provincial police chief, Abdul ­Ghafar Watandar, who accused the Taliban of using the civilians as human shields, said the death toll could be even higher, with some local officials claiming it could be up to 200.

If confirmed, those figures could make the strike the worst single most deadliest for Afghan civilians since the start of the campaign to topple the Taliban in 2001.

Guardian.co.uk