30/11/2013 10:11
U.S.-led coalition 'regrets' child's death in Afghanistan airstrike
The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan said Friday that it "deeply regrets" an airstrike that, it says, killed a child, CNN reported.
The strike took place Thursday in southern Afghanistan's Helmand Province, according to NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The attack targeted "a known insurgent riding a motorbike" who was killed along with the child. Two women were also injured.
"ISAF is committed to ensuring that all measures are taken to prevent civilian casualties," the coalition said in a statement released Friday. "Coalition officials will work with Afghan officials to determine what happened and why."
U.S. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, who leads ISAF in Afghanistan, called Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday night after Karzai spoke out following the attack, a NATO official said. In addition to expressing regrets, Dunford promised a joint investigation into the incident.
There was a message on Karzai's website strongly condemning the attack and calling it another sign of disregard for civilians.
The official said the target was a Taliban sub-commander linked to the killings of Afghan troops and civilians. Two airstrikes were launched against him. The first one missed and may have caused civilian casualties, while the second killed the insurgent, according to the official.
Such attacks are a sensitive matter in Afghanistan. U.S.-led forces have maintained a presence there since soon after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, going after al Qaeda and Taliban fighters as a new government emerged. The attacks also have stirred animosity among some locals, given the number of civilians who have been killed, injured or otherwise affected by coalition military actions.