US commander apologises for Afghanistan civilian death

30 Nov La times

The American commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan telephoned Afghan President Hamid Karzai to apologise for an airstrike that killed at least one Afghan civilian and badly wounded two others, a coalition official said.

Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. "expressed deep regret" for the civilian casualties, the official said, and promised a joint investigation with Afghan officials into circumstances surrounding the attack Thursday. Dunford made the call late Thursday after Karzai angrily denounced the United States, saying it has repeatedly shown disregard for the lives of Afghan civilians.

The airstrike, which Karzai said was from a American drone aircraft, came at a tense moment in U.S.-Afghan relations. Karzai warned earlier this week that if one more Afghan civilian was killed by American forces, he would never sign a proposed post-2014 security agreement.

Citing civilian casualties from so-called "night raids" on Afghan homes by U.S. special operations forces, Karzai has delayed signing the 10-year agreement even after agreeing to the proposed 24-page text. He indicated that he considered Thursday's airstrike sufficient cause to scrap the accord altogether.Karzai said a child was killed and two women badly wounded in the airstrike, and coalition officials did not dispute him.