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Afghan civilians killed during U.S.-led strike against militants

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 17, 2006

KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S.-led coalition forces using warplanes and artillery clashed with a small band of militants holed up in a house and a cave complex in eastern Afghanistan in fighting that killed seven Afghan civilians and wounded three, the military said Sunday.

The U.S. military launched an investigation into the deaths, inflicted during an operation involving 2,500 Afghan and coalition forces to counter an upsurge in attacks by Taliban-led militants.

The clash happened late Saturday in the Korangal Valley in the eastern Kunar province bordering Pakistan. American troops were retaliating against an attack launched by eight to 10 militants firing small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, U.S. military spokesman Maj. Matt Hackathorn said.

U.S. soldiers on the ground called in warplanes and artillery to target militants sheltering in a house and nearby cave.

Several militants were killed while the rest sought cover in a compound housing civilians.

"Our surveillance indicated that there was a house with a cave nearby and that the insurgents were going back and forth between both, so we suppressed the area with a combined arms assault of close air support, artillery and direct fire," Hackathorn said.

"But once we realized there were civilians in the area, we ceased fire," he said.

After the firefight ended, village elders told coalition forces that seven people had been killed and three wounded, Hackathorn said.

"Whether our direct fire was responsible (for the casualties) or close-air support or if the victims were caught in the cross-fire, we just don't know right now," he said. "We are profoundly sorry about the loss of life."

U.S. Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, the coalition's operational commander, called for an investigation, a military statement said.

U.S. and Afghan forces last week launched a major offensive - dubbed Operation Mountain Lion - to flush out Taliban-led militants in the region.

[Last modified April 17, 2006, 01:23:23]