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US military team to investigate Afghanistan bombing

Charles Aldinger in Washington

A US military team will go to Afghanistan within days to investigate the deaths of Afghan civilians in an American air strike, but the Pentagon refused to rule out future air attacks in pursuit of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, defence officials said on Monday.

The investigation board of about 15 representatives from the armed services will be headed by an Air Force general and include experts in air traffic control and AC-130 attack aircraft, said Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke.

"Within 24 to 48 hours, the team is scheduled to be in Bagram (airbase) to begin the investigation," she told a news briefing.

Afghan officials have said 48 civilians died and 117 people were wounded north of Kandahar in the 'friendly fire' accident on July 1, including members of a wedding celebration.

But Clarke said the United States had not yet determined how many died in the strike on Deh Rawud and other villages in the rugged central province of Uruzgan.

The strike in early-morning darkness after the crew of a four-engine turboprop AC-130 'gunship' reported it was being fired on from the ground has sparked controversy over the US military presence in Afghanistan.

Clarke and Marine Corps Lt Gen Gregory Newbold, director of operations on the US military Joint Staff, told reporters the military would not rule out future air strikes in response to ground fire or in protection of American and allied troops.

"We intend to use whatever tools and tactics we think are appropriate at different times," Clarke said.

"We have to strike a balance between accomplishing the mission and taking prudent steps to ensure that we minimise any unintended affects," Newbold said.

"But to negate one of our principle tools arbitrarily, of course, would expose Afghan and the US and coalition forces to jeopardy," he said of the US-led military campaign against Taliban fighters and guerrilla supporters of fugitive Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Clarke said Washington had asked Afghan leader Hamid Karzai to appoint an Afghan to the accident investigation board and to oversee Afghan participation in the investigation.

"The team will take as long as they need to tour the sites, interview villagers, pilots, forward air controllers and special forces and to do as thorough as possible a job on the investigation," she said.

Reuters

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