US-Led Airstrike Kills 30 Afghan Civilians

Total toll said to be 140, but US disputes claim

(NEWSER) - Ninety-five children are among the 140 people said to have died in US airstrikes last week aimed at the Taliban in western Afghanistan, according to a list compiled by Afghan officials. If the toll is correct, the AP reports, it marks the highest number of civilian deaths since 2001. The US disputes the claim, saying “there is no physical proof that can substantiate” the figures. More»

President Karzai angry; military investigating incident

(NEWSER) - A US air strike killed 40 civilians at a wedding party Monday, the Afghan government said today. The US said it was investigating the incident, but would not verify any attack or death toll, the New York Times reports. A Kandahar province official said US forces were fighting with the Taliban in the area, and called in air support, which mistakenly targeted the wedding. 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»

(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»

(NEWSER) - The US military is tightening its rules regarding airstrikes in Afghanistan, in the face of mounting civilian casualties, the New York Times reports. Airstrikes will now be used mostly to prevent coalition forces from being overrun, new Afghan commander Stanley McChrystal announced. “Air power contains the seeds of our own destruction if we do not use it responsibly,” he told senior officers last week. “We can lose this fight.” More»