Video shows US 'played down' child deaths in Afghan raid

The bodies of at least 10 children and many more adults covered in blankets appear in videos released today, lending weight to Afghan and UN claims that a US-led raid last month killed more civilians than the US reported.

The sounds of wailing women mixed with the voices of men shouting inside a white-walled mosque in the western village of Azizabad, where an Afghan government commission and UN report said some 90 civilians – including 60 children and 15 women – were killed.

The two grainy videos, apparently taken on mobile phones, showed bodies lying side-by-side on the mosque floor, covered by floral-patterned blankets and shawls.

One young boy lay curled in a foetal position, while others looked as though they were asleep. One child had half its head blown off.

There appeared to be several dozen bodies lying on the mosque floor, though a precise count was difficult because of the poor quality of the images.

The videos do not provide proof that 60 children died in the operation by US special forces and Afghan commandos, but the images do appear to contradict a US military investigation that found only seven civilians were killed in Azizabad, along with up to 35 militants.

The US said yesterday it would reopen the investigation because of emerging new evidence.

Today, a Pentagon spokesman said that over the weekend new “imagery evidence” came to the attention of General David McKiernan, the American commander of the Nato-led force in Afghanistan.

“There is some evidence that suggests that the evidence that the US military used in... its investigation may not have been complete,” Bryan Whitman said.

He said a general to be sent to Afghanistan by US Central Command will review the initial investigation. But it is also possible there will be a new inquiry into the raid in Azizabad – this time conducted by Central Command, said Bill Speaks, a spokesman for the command in Florida.

The Afghan government has agreed to a joint US-UN-Afghan investigation, said Sultan Ahmad Baheen, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry. It is not clear when or how that will be conducted.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly warned the US and Nato that it must stop killing civilians in its bombing runs, saying such deaths undermine his government and the international mission. But the Azizabad incident could finally push Mr Karzai to take action.

Mr Karzai said the Azizabad bombings have brought relations between the Afghan government and the US to one of its lowest points since the ousting of the Islamic militia from power in 2001.

Shortly after the Azizabad attack, he ordered a review of whether the US and Nato should be allowed to use airstrikes or carry out raids in villages.

He also called for an updated “status of force” agreement between the Afghan government and foreign militaries. That review has not yet been completed.

Afghan officials said US special forces and Afghan commandos raided the village while hundreds of people were gathered in a large compound for a memorial service honouring a tribal leader, Timor Shah, who was killed eight months ago by a rival, Nader Tawakal.

The US investigative report released last week said American and Afghan forces took fire from militants while approaching Azizabad and that “justified use of well-aimed small-arms fire and close air support to defend the combined force.”

The report said investigators discovered evidence the militants planned to attack a nearby coalition base. This included weapons, explosives, intelligence materials and an access badge to the base, as well as photographs from inside and outside the base, the US report said.