According to Afghan authorities, airstrikes called in by U.S. Special Forces have killed at least 21 civilians in a village in southern Afghanistan.
Helmand provincial Gov. Assadullah Wafa said that Taliban fighters sought shelter in villagers' homes during fighting in the Sangin district Tuesday evening. He said the subsequent airstrikes killed 21 civilians, including women and children.
Maj. William Mitchell, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, said that troops killed a significant number of enemy fighters, but that he had no report of civilian casualties. The news comes on the heels of a U.S. apology for an earlier incident in which 19 Afghan civilians were killed.
Robert Siegel talks with Jean Mackenzie of the Institute of War and Peace Reporting about the recent incident, and how it affects ongoing U.S. efforts in Afghanistan.
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