Mon, Dec 08, 2003
US Was Looking For Taliban Commander
They were aiming for a Taliban
commander. Instead, an American warplane flying over Afghanistan
hit a village in the Afghan mountains, killing nine children.
American officials say the attack indeed killed former Taliban
commander Mullah Wazir. Locals in the village, however, say he
escaped. Still, the collateral damage threatened to inflame the
Afghan public. American Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said he was
"deeply saddened" by what he termed the "tragic loss of life" in
the village of Hutala in southern Afghanistan.
It was the latest strike in which civilians were killed,
prompting the UN envoy to that war-torn country to say he's
"profoundly distressed." Lakhdar Brahimi said the airstrike,
"follows similar incidents (and) adds to a sense of insecurity and
fear in the country."
Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned American forces to "be very
careful not to repeat such tragedies."
"They were just playing ball, and then the shots came down,"
said one witness. The man, Hamidullah, said his eight-year-old son,
Habibullah, was among those killed.
"At the time we initiated the attack, we did not know there were
children nearby," said Army Major Christopher West. He said
American soldiers went to the scene of the attack, in Ghazni
Province, to verify the casualties. They found pools of blood where
the children had been hit and villagers deep in mourning.
"The people there are very afraid. They have no idea why the
Americans bombed their village," said Ghazni Provincial Governor
Jawaid Khan.
More News
Aero Linx: JAARS Nearly 1.5 billion people, using more than 5,500 languages, do not have a full Bible in their first language. Many of these people live in the most remote parts of>[...]
'Airplane Bounced Twice On The Grass Runway, Resulting In The Nose Wheel Separating From The Airplane...' Analysis: The pilot reported, “upon touchdown, the plane jumped back>[...]
"Burt is best known to the public for his historic designs of SpaceShipOne, Voyager, and GlobalFlyer, but for EAA members and aviation aficionados, his unique concepts began more t>[...]
"Polaris Dawn, the first of the program’s three human spaceflight missions, is targeted to launch to orbit no earlier than summer 2024. During the five-day mission, the crew >[...]
There Are SO Many Ways To Get YOUR Aero-News! It’s been a while since we have reminded everyone about all the ways we offer your daily dose of aviation news on-the-go...so he>[...]