An air strike by a Dutch F-16 fighter jet in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan today killed at least nine civilians, including six children, and wounded at least three others, according to provincial officials.
The attack came against a small village named Khoshal following a firefight between British forces and the Taliban fighters in the area. The British forces reportedly called in the strike.
Dutch General Peter van Uhm confirmed that one of his planes had carried out the air strike that led to the civilian deaths, and while he said he “deplored” their deaths he insists the killing was entirely the fault of the Taliban.
Speaking in the capital city of Kabul, Gen. van Uhm declared the civilian deaths “deeply sad” and said that they proved “once again that the insurgents do not obey God.”
