3 March 2011, NYT: Nine Afghan Boys Collecting Firewood Killed by NATO Helicopters
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/world/asia/07afghanistan.html
March 6, 2011
Afghan Leader Calls Apology in Boys' Deaths Insufficient
By ALISSA J. RUBIN
KABUL, Afghanistan -- The American commander in Afghanistan apologized in person to the leadership of the Afghan government on Sunday for the mistaken killing of nine Afghan children [1] in Kunar Province on Tuesday, but the Afghan president rejected the apology, according to a statement from the president's spokesman.
Gen. David H. Petraeus attended the Afghan National Security Council meeting held Sunday. He explained that the shooting of the boys, who were 9 to 15 years old, was a mistake and apologized to the Afghan people.
In response, President Hamid Karzai said that the apology was insufficient. Civilian casualties worsen the relationship between Afghanistan and the United States, he said, according to the statement.
"The people of Afghanistan are tired of these incidents and excuses, and condemnations cannot relieve their pain," Mr. Karzai said. "I am asking you on behalf of the people of Afghanistan that there be no repetition of this incident."
The deaths are expected to come up in meetings Mr. Karzai is scheduled to have with the American defense secretary, Robert M. Gates, who arrived in Afghanistan Monday.
Civilian casualties caused by NATO troops are corrosive to the relationship between the West and the Afghans, and reinforce the Taliban's propaganda that NATO troops do not care about the Afghan people. In fact, far more civilians are killed by the insurgents than by NATO, according to the most recent United Nations report, [2] which said that more than three-quarters of civilian casualties are now caused by the insurgents. However, those that are caused by NATO troops appear to reverberate more deeply because of underlying animosity about foreigners in the country.
In Kabul on Sunday, a protest took place over the death of the nine boys. A larger protest was held last week in Nanglam, the capital of the district where the killing took place.
The shootings occurred in a poor, mountainous area. A couple of the boys who died were the only males in their families and were responsible for the care of their mothers and sisters. The loss of the only male means that the women will have to rely on relatives, who usually are already overburdened with their own families.
A boy who was wounded but survived described a helicopter gunship that hunted down the children as they gathered wood on the mountainside outside their village. The gunners apparently mistook the children for insurgents who fired on an American base hours earlier.
In contrast to some episodes in which those killed included both insurgents and civilians, this one involved only civilians, and NATO quickly took responsibility for it. Typically in these cases NATO pays compensation to families. General Petraeus has ordered an investigation and a review of the procedures used by helicopter crews.
A NATO spokesman said by e-mail: "We take all civilian casualties very seriously. In light of the recent event that tragically killed nine children, ISAF is investigating the incident to determine the cause and minimize the possibility of future civilian casualties." ISAF refers to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
"General Petraeus has ordered all commanders and attack helicopter crews to thoroughly review procedures in the tactical directive, and to reinforce the need to protect innocent Afghan lives as we pursue a ruthless enemy," the statement said.
On Sunday, 12 Afghans were killed when a roadside bomb exploded on their vehicle near the border between the Pakistani tribal areas and Paktika Province in southeastern Afghanistan.
Farooq Jan Mangal contributed reporting from Khost, Afghanistan.
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/world/asia/03afghan.htm
[2] http://unama.unmissions.org/Portals/UNAMA/SG Reports/SG REPORT_10DEC2010.pdf