Afghan Officials Say Airstrike Killed Civilians - NYTimes.com

Afghan Officials Say Airstrike Killed Civilians - NYTimes.com: "Afghan Officials Say Airstrike Killed Civilians
By JOHN F. BURNS

KABUL, Afghanistan — A NATO airstrike on Thursday on a village near the embattled provincial capital of Lashkar Gah killed 25 to 30 civilians, Afghan officials in the area said. While NATO confirmed that an airstrike had taken place in the area, where Taliban fighters have been battling NATO forces, it said that the reports were being investigated and that the command was “unable to confirm any civilian casualties.”

Reliable information on the airstrike — whether it caused the deaths, as local officials and residents reported, and whether the number of civilian deaths was accurate — was elusive. But any substantial civilian death toll would further inflame an Afghan government and public already angered by a recent rise in civilian casualties from coalition airstrikes. American commanders have acknowledged that the war has been going badly in recent months as the Taliban and Al Qaeda have stepped up their campaign of bombings and assassinations.

Residents claiming to have witnessed the airstrike said at least 18 bodies, all women and children — including one 6-month-old — were pulled from the rubble and taken to the provincial governor’s compound in protest.

At nightfall"