UN Confirms Recent US Airstrike Killed Afghan Civilians

At Least 10 Slain in Attack, Despite US Denials

Over the weekend, US airstrikes against the Kunduz Province of Afghanistan were reported to have killed 14 civilians, including four children. The US was quick to insist that their investigation showed that the incident never happened.

On Wednesday, UN officials confirmed that they had credible reports that the incident killed at least 10 civilians. They were unable to come up with an exact figure, however. The US has not responded to the confirmation.

This has been a recurring problem within various US wars, with a lack of serious efforts to get exact death tolls on incidents, and the US mostly just looking to ditch the responsibility by saying there was no evidence.

This comes just after a new UN statement of concern on the mounting civilian death toll in Afghanistan, which has been tracking upward alarmingly with the number of US airstrikes being carried out.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.