US,Afghan villagers differ over 15 killed in raid

KABUL, Afghanistan-The American coalition in Afghanistan opened a joint U.S.-Afghan investigation Saturday into an overnight raid that American commanders say killed 15 armed militants but that two Afghan officials say killed 11 civilians.The accusation of civilian deaths is the latest in a string of incidents over the last year that have raised the ire of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has pleaded with foreign military forces to avoid such killings.A detailed U.S. statement said multiple teams of militants fired on the coalition forces early Saturday during a raid against a Taliban commander in the eastern province of Laghman. The U.S. said a woman carrying a rocket-propelled grenade was among the 15 killed."We know the people who were killed were shooting at us," said Col. Greg Julian, the top U.S. spokesman in Afghanistan. "The people who were killed today were running around, maneuvering against our forces, and we killed them."However, Sayed Ahmad Safi, the spokesman for Laghman's governor, said that government intelligence reports indicated 11 of the dead were civilians, including three children and two females. Two of the dead were militants, he said.Safi said a government delegation had traveled to the site of the operation, but that it was a rough three hour trip from the provincial capital and that the team wasn't expected to report back until Sunday.Abdul Khaliq Hussaini, a member of parliament who represents Laghman, said he believed 16 people had been killed, including 11 civilians.The site of the raid — the village of Guloch — lies 40 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of the capital, Kabul.Julian said he had no doubts about the U.S. version of the battle, but said a joint U.S.-Afghan investigation had been launched to put the reports of civilian deaths to rest."These allegations benefit the insurgency, and we want to clear them up," he said.Civilian deaths are a hugely sensitive topic between the Afghan government and the U.S. and NATO.
By JASON STRAZIUSO and RAHIM FAIEZ, Associated Press Writers
First Strike on Obama's Watch:
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6724227
To read more go to:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090124/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan
As in the days of Noah....