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September 6, 2009

US General Visits Air Strike Site in Northern Afghanistan
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=266FA0A:A6F02AD83191E16099D3D4AC9AFB28E62A201403E89ED254&
 
General Stanley Mc Chrystal visits area where a day earlier a US jet
dropped bombs that blew up two fuel tankers hijacked by Taliban 
US Gen. Stanley Mc Chrystal (L) and U.S. Rear Admiral Gregory J. Smith
(C) visit site of strike outside Kunduz, Afghanistan, 05 Sep 2009The
commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan has inspected the site
of a recent air strike in Kunduz province that local officials say
killed civilians. U.S. Army General Stanley Mc Chrystal Saturday visited
the area in northern Afghanistan where a day earlier a U.S. jet dropped
bombs that blew up two fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban. The blast
killed as many as 90 people. It is unclear how many were civilians. NATO
has begun a formal investigation into the incident and promised to make
the results public. In eastern Afghanistan, U.S. officials say an
American soldier was killed Sunday in an insurgent attack. The military
did not provide further details. A British journalist and his Afghan
interpreter were reported missing in the Kunduz province Saturday and
according to the provincial governor, are believed to have been abducted
by the Taliban. The missing journalist works for The New York Times. A
regional Taliban commander reportedly said the journalist's fate will be
decided by Taliban leadership. Also in Kunduz province on Saturday, a
roadside bomb exploded near a convoy of German troops, damaging
vehicles. Provincial officials say Friday's airstrike killed 56 Taliban
militants and a large number of civilians, including children who had
been called to the area by the Taliban members to remove fuel from the
tankers. Interior Ministry spokesman, Zemerai Bashry said the government
is working to confirm civilian casualties. General Mc Chrystal ordered
U.S. and NATO troops in July to limit the use of air strikes to try to
reduce such casualties. Several European Union foreign ministers,
meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, Saturday, condemned the operation. French
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called the air strike a "big
mistake."EU foreign ministers also discussed ways to improve the
delivery of!
  aid to Afghanistan, focusing on efforts to combat corruption.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.


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