US forces admit killing 33 civilians in Taliban clash

A US military investigation has found that air raids targeting the Taliban during a gun battle in northern Afghanistan last year killed 33 civilians.


Twenty-seven other civilians were wounded in the village of Boz in Kunduz city, a statement from US Forces Afghanistan said on Thursday.

The incident [?] on November 3 saw US and Afghan troops carrying out a ground assault against the Taliban when they came under fire from the armed group, prompting a call for air reinforcements.

"Regardless of the circumstances, I deeply regret the loss of innocent lives," General John Nicholson, the top commander of US forces and the NATO mission, said.

According to the statement, the operation was launched to capture Taliban commanders the US said were behind the capture of parts of Kunduz in October 2015.

The civilian deaths caused an uproar and the United Nations and humanitarian organisations condemned the bombing raid.
 [aljazeera.com]
12/1/17
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• 30 Afghan civilians killed during US airstrikes, officials say [3/11/16]
• Afghanistan: l'armée américaine admet avoir "très probablement" tué des civils