Nine Afghan children killed in US air strike
The United Nations has said it is “profoundly distressed” by the deaths of nine Afghan children, killed in a US air strike.
The UN has called for a speedy investigation into the incident.
The UN Special Representative to Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, said the incident would add to the sense of fear and insecurity in the impoverished country and may inspire further attacks on US and Afghan government forces.
The US military has since admitted to killing the children when planes bombed a terrorist target in southern Afghanistan.
Military spokesman Major Christopher West expressed profound regret over the tragedy. The sentiment was shared by Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, who fears the growth of Taliban support on his home soil.
The US air strike was aimed at the home of a suspected terrorist, former Taliban militant Mullah Wazir, who is also said to have died in the attack on the town of Makur, near Ghazni.
Mr Wazir was considered “a known financier, organiser and facilitator of terrorist activity.”
