ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — U.S. military officials on Tuesday flatly rejected claims from the United Nations and Afghan government that a U.S. airstrike in western Afghanistan two weeks ago killed up to 90 Afghan civilians, saying that a complete investigation into the incident found that only five civilians were killed.
A review of video footage, photos and an analysis of burial sites following the strike in Azizabad village in Herat province in the early-morning hours of Aug. 22 found that 30 to 35 Taliban insurgents and five civilian relatives of a Taliban commander died in the attack, according to a summary of the U.S. findings released Tuesday evening. Two other civilians were injured, it said.
Interviews with 30 American and Afghan participants in the military operation reinforced U.S. claims that casualties from the incident were considerably lower than those suggested by eyewitnesses, the summary said.
Faced with mounting public anger over civilian casualties as the war enters its seventh year, President Hamid Karzai has become increasingly critical of coalition airstrikes in recent months. Casualties among foreign troops are also hitting record highs in the wake of a Taliban resurgence.
Days after the attack in Azizabad, Karzai’s government called for a review of NATO and U.S. military conduct in the field and demanded a formal mutual agreement that spells out U.S. and NATO responsibilities in Afghanistan.
Lt. Nathan Perry, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, said the new report’s conclusions would be passed onto NATO officials who last week called for a joint inquiry into the airstrike.
