McChrystal Visits Site of Airstrike, Pledges Inquiry

NATO says the matter is under investigation

(AP) - A NATO airstrike targeting insurgents inadvertently hit two civilian homes in the volatile southwestern Helmand province, killing 12 children and two women, an Afghan government official said today. He said the alliance launched the airstrike late yesterday in retaliation for an attack earlier in the day on a US Marine base. A NATO spokesman said a joint coalition and Afghan delegation was traveling to the site to investigate. More»

Death caused by allied forces down 28%

(AP) - The number of Afghan civilians who died in war-related violence last year soared to the highest annual level since the conflict began in 2001, with nearly 70% blamed on insurgents, according the the UN, and 25% to allied forces. The UN mission in Afghanistan said 2,412 civilians were killed in 2000—a 14% increase over 2008. The deaths caused by allied forces show a 28% drop over the previous year. More»

UAVs typically stick to neighboring Pakistan

(NEWSER) - Unmanned US drones killed 16 insurgents in a pair of airstrikes within Afghanistan yesterday, the military announced today, in an unusual case of the drones being used inside Afghan borders. The drones are typically used only for assaults over the border in Pakistan—and by the CIA, not the US military, the New York Times notes. It’s unclear if this was a one-time event, or a strategic shift in the face of heavy recent casualties. More»

(NEWSER) - With US casualties mounting in Afghanistan, some members of Congress are questioning recent orders that have put troops at greater risk in order to protect Afghan civilians, the Washington Post reports. Gen. Stanley McChrystal recently berated the military for being “preoccupied with protection of our own forces.” He ordered soldiers to spend less time in fortified areas, and issued rules limiting airstrikes. The result? Civilian deaths plummeted this summer, but military casualties more than doubled. More»

(AP) - A roadside bomb hit a wedding party on its way to a ceremony in southern Afghanistan, killing 21 people including women and children, Afghan officials said today. A local police chief said that a Western airstrike hours later killed five farmers loading cucumbers into a taxi in a neighboring province; a US spokeswoman said the men were militants placing weapons into a van. More»