International
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan apologized to President Hamid Karzai for a drone strike that killed a child and NATO promised an investigation Friday as rising tensions threatened efforts to persuade the Afghan leader to sign a long-delayed security agreement.
Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford called Karzai late Thursday to express "deep regrets for the incident and any civilian casualties," the commander's spokesman said.
The U.S.-led international coalition in Afghanistan, known as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), announced hours earlier that it is investigating an airstrike it launched that Afghan officials said killed a child and injured two women, leading to a condemnation of the attack by the country's president.
ISAF reported Thursday's airstrike also killed an insurgent in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province.
"The International Security Assistance Force confirms that an airstrike was conducted on a known insurgent riding a motorbike in Helmand," ISAF said.
It added that it was also aware that Afghan authorities said "that in addition to the insurgent being killed, there was one child also killed and two women injured. ISAF, along with Afghan authorities, will immediately conduct an investigation into the incident."
The coalition said it regretted any civilian casualties as a result of its airstrike and that it was "committed to ensuring that all measures are taken to prevent civilian casualties. Coalition officials will work with Afghan officials to determine what happened and why. We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those killed or wounded."
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has criticized the coalition for civilian casualties from some airstrikes. Such incidents have fallen off sharply in recent years after stricter guidelines by NATO on the use of air power against ground targets.
Karzai has demanded an end to all such incidents along with a stop to all raids on Afghan homes by foreign forces as a condition for him to sign a long-delayed security deal with the United States.
He has already deferred signing a deal until his second and last term expires in April but has not completely excluded the possibility of doing so.
The Taliban and other insurgent groups are blamed for the overwhelming majority of civilian casualties, most of which are caused by roadside bombs targeting Afghan or foreign forces.
They also have carried out attacks against government and elected officials as well as people working for the administration.
In one such attack Friday in Kabul, a suicide bomber wounded a parliament deputy at his home.
Claiming to be a constituent, the attacker detonated a bomb hidden in his turban when he entered the home of Hamidullah Tokhi, a deputy from southern Zabul province, Kabul police chief Mohammad Zahir said.
It was unclear why Tokhi was targeted, but he has been a vociferous critic of the Taliban and fought them when they ruled the country.
Zahir said Tokhi was hospitalized but was not seriously wounded. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though the Taliban have used bombs hidden in turbans to carry out other suicide attacks.
In southern Kandahar, provincial spokesman Jaweed Faisal said a suicide bomber also tried to attack a NATO convoy but missed, instead killing a child and wounding three passers-by.
The Associated Press
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