WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS? U.S. AIRSTRIKE KILLS 27 AFGHAN CIVILIANS

‘Unjustifiable’ strike kills 27 Afghan civilians

Elsewhere, warlord who tried to capture bin Laden in ’01 dies in bombing

The Associated Press
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35515880/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

KABUL, Afghanistan - A NATO airstrike killed at least 27 civilians in central Afghanistan, the third time a mistaken coalition strike has killed noncombatants since the start of a major offensive aimed at winning over the population.

The top NATO commander, U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, apologized to the Afghan president, NATO said.

The Afghanistan Council of Ministers strongly condemned the airstrike in Uruzgan province, calling it "unjustifiable." An earlier statement issued Monday put the death toll at 33. It was not immediately clear why the figure had been revised.

Initial reports indicated that NATO planes fired at a convoy of three vehicles Sunday. The victims included 4 women and a child, Afghan officials said.
NATO confirmed that its planes fired on what it believed was a group of insurgents on their way to attack a joint NATO-Afghan patrol.

The Afghan government and NATO have launched an investigation.

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