Afghan probe finds 10 civilians killed in air raid

An Afghan government inquiry found that a US-led coalition bombing in southern Uruzgan province last week killed 10 civilians and wounded 27, an official said.

Maulvi Muhayuddin Baluch, an adviser on religious affairs to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, said that nine suspected Taliban fighters were also killed during coalition air raids in the Uruzgan capital, Tirin Kot.

The coalition forces claimed they had killed more than 40 Taliban during the strikes.

American officials were not immediately available for comment today.

Baluch was part of a five-member team sent by Karzai to investigate last week’s clashes in which local residents said civilians, including women and children, were killed.

Among those 27 wounded civilians, 13 were women, 12 children and two men, Baluch said.

The eight suspected Taliban were killed while meeting in a house, Baluch said.

But during that bombing three civilian houses were destroyed as well.

The ninth suspected Taliban fighter was killed the next day after coalition aircraft purportedly dropped a bomb on a mosque from where he was firing, Baluch said.