NATO Strike Kills Dozens

How not to win the hearts and minds of the locals. Drop bombs and ask questions later is the redneck way of wiping out foreigners who all look alike.
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NATO Strike Kills Dozens
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A Tuesday NATO strike may have killed as many as 85 civilians in southern Afghanistan. The incident comes just one week after Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned NATO to used "maximum caution."
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A NATO helicopter over Afghanistan. As many as 85 civilians may have been killed in a Tuesday airstrike.
With clashes on the rise in southern Afghanistan between NATO-led troops and a resurgent Taliban, the government in Kabul has become increasingly concerned about the safety of the region's civilian population.
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It's a concern that was proved well-founded on late Tuesday. In what may be the worst case of civilian casualties since 2002, a NATO strike in the Kandahar region may have killed dozens of civilians. According to NATO, the strike was intended for suspected Taliban fighters. Instead, the strike in Panjwayi, near Kandahar City, killed as many as 40 civilians according to local officials. Some reports say as many as 85 may have died; NATO has so far confirmed 12 dead.
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai has already set up a seven-member investigative committee of tribal and community leaders. He had repeatedly condemned mounting civilian deaths in recent weeks urging NATO to use "maximum caution." Nine villagers were killed in a similar incident last week.
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The civilian deaths came as Afghanistan was celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan. NATO said that 48 Taliban fighters were killed in three separate attacks in the district that day. A roadside blast on Friday killed 14 villagers as they were on their way to holiday celebrations in a nearby town.
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Panjwayi's district leader, Nias Mohammed Sarhadi, said that at least 60 civilians had been killed in the Tuesday incident and that many houses had been destroyed. Provincial council member Bismellah Afghanmal spoke of 85 victims.
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http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,445042,00.html