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Afghan bombing raids 'hit civilians'
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Provincial authorities in Afghanistan say several civilians have been killed in U.S.-led bombing raids aimed at rooting out suspected Taliban forces. The allegations came as U.S. military commanders announced Wednesday that B-52 and B-1 heavy bombers had been called in during the most recent raids, targeting what ground forces determined to be offensive Taliban positions in central Afghanistan. Speaking at Bagram Airbase, headquarters for the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan, spokesman Col. Roger King said 12 suspects were captured Tuesday during operations in the central Baghran Valley. He said U.S. ground forces in the area called in air support after spotting about 25 men armed with AK-47s and rocket grenades moving along a mountain ridgeline. King said the operation, code-named "Eagle Fury" was continuing, as was another sweep in the neighboring province of Bamiyan. "The intensity to a certain extent depends upon on the enemy," Reuters quoted him as saying. "If the enemy presents itself in a posture to attack us, then we will engage them." Dead 'mainly women and children'The announcement coincided with unconfirmed reports from provincial government officials saying that at least 17 civilians had died, most of them women and children, during U.S.-led bombing raids. Haji Mohammad Wali, a spokesman for the government of Helmand province, told Reuters an official in Baghran district had reported the deaths after relatives came to the district headquarters. "The people came crying, saying their relatives had died or were missing," Wali was quoted as saying. It is unclear, however, whether the casualties came from the same operation detailed by Col. King. On Monday, Dutch F-16s bombed and strafed caves in Baghran Valley after U.S. Special Forces came under attack from guerrilla fighters thought to be hiding there. U.S. military commanders have not reported any civilian casualties as a result of the bombing. Outlining the U.S.-led operation, King said accumulated intelligence pointed to Taliban remnants using the isolated Baghran Valley as an area to regroup and take refuge. Around 13,000 U.S. and coalition forces are in Afghanistan hunting remnants of the former Taliban regime as well as members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network believed to be still hiding out in the country's rugged mountains. Reuters contributed to this report.
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