Thursday, November 6, 2008

US air strike hits wedding party, kills 40 civilians.

From Xinhua:
KABUL, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 Afghan civilians have been killed and 28 more injured as an airstrike of the U.S.-led Coalition forces hit a wedding gathering in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province, officials and local villagers said Wednesday.

The U.S.-led troops called in gunship helicopters Monday afternoon to retaliate on militants who earlier that day attacked them at Wech Baghtu village in Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar. However, the air bombing hit a wedding party being held near the hilly area where the Taliban insurgents' firing came from, according to locals.

Condemning the incident, Afghan President Hamid Karzai was saddened by "the killing of 40 civilians and injuring of 28 others in a Coalition air strike," a statement from his office said. "President Karzai has stressed repeatedly in the past that civilian casualties should be avoided but the Coalition forces usually carry out bombing without planning."

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