Nederland en Afghanistan 52

De New York Times bericht: 'U.S. to Investigate Deaths Related to 2 Battles in Afghanistan. KABUL, Afghanistan - The United States military on Sunday announced that it would investigate the deaths connected to two combat operations in Afghanistan in the past two days against insurgents believed to be tied to the Taliban. Seven civilians were reported killed in one battle. In the other battle, civilians also were reported killed or wounded, and four Afghan police officers were reported by villagers to have been killed by United States fire. The prompt decision to investigate the circumstances in both incidents and to announce the step reflected a new openness by the United States military command about its operations in Afghanistan. But it also revealed coordination problems among Afghan forces, the American military and other foreign forces in Afghanistan as the insurgency that is believed to be linked to the country's former Taliban rulers has found strength with the return of spring weather. Coalition forces fought insurgents in Kunar Province in the east on Saturday night, pounding a house and a cave where militants were holed up, using air support, artillery and direct fire. "Several of the insurgents are believed to have been killed; the rest retreated," said a United States military statement. But in the aftermath, soldiers found that civilians had been killed or wounded in the fighting. Three wounded civilians were taken to an American military base at Asadabad for treatment, and the dead were being returned to their families, the statement said.' Lees verder:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/17/world/asia/17afghan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Of: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0417-05.htm