Mistakes by US forces 'likely' caused Afghan deaths

A failure by US forces to follow procedures in air strikes last month in Afghanistan are "likely" to have caused the death of at least 26 civilians, the US military said.

An internal investigation of a May 4 battle with Taliban insurgents in western Afghanistan found US air crews and ground troops acted in line with the laws of armed conflict but three air strikes by a B-1 bomber failed to adhere to US combat rules and orders.

"Not applying all of that guidance likely resulted in civilian casualties," said a summary of the military probe released on Friday.

The report recommended tactics and combat rules in the Afghan war be revised to avoid civilian casualties but did not call for prosecution of any US military personnel.

The investigation found that 78 Taliban fighters were killed and 26 civilians died in the incident, but said it was possible that a higher number of civilians were killed.

The Kabul government has put the civilian toll at 140.

The incident has fuelled public anger at the Nato-led coalition and prompted President Hamid Karzai to demand a halt in air strikes.

US and Nato officials have grown increasingly concerned about the effect of civilian casualities on the war effort, as insurgents have sought to exploit the incidents to sow distrust of foreign troops.

The new American commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has ordered a 60-day review of the entire military mission to identify better ways to separate the population from insurgents, The New York Times reported yesterday.

"The measure of effectiveness will not be enemy killed," the newspaper quoted the commander as saying. "It will be the number of Afghans shielded from violence."

The report, issued by US Central Command, described an intense battle over several hours with Afghan security forces calling for assistance from a team of US Marines near the village of Gerani in the Farah province.

The Marines had tried to persuade Afghan authorities to hold off on moving against about 300 Taliban that had threatened local villagers, suggesting more time was needed to fully plan an operation, it said.