KABUL (AFP)--U.S. President
George W. Bush expressed regret over civilian casualties from a U.S.-led airstrike in western Afghanistan, the office of his Afghan counterpart said Wednesday.
The expression of regret came during a regular video conference involving Bush and Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai.
The two presidents have a video conference every two weeks, a press statement from Karzai's office said.
"Expressing regrets about the Shindand incident, the president (Bush) said, 'I share your pain and sorrow, and that of the people of Afghanistan,'" according to the Kabul presidential statement.
Afghan officials have said a U.S.-led airstrike on Aug. 22 in the Shindand district of western Herat province killed 90 civilians, most of them women and children.
U.S.-led forces insist they killed 30 insurgents and "five to seven" civilians.
"The subject of today's video conference concerned matters of mutual interest between the two countries, especially civilian casualties and the incident of Shindand," the statement said.
The incident caused uproar in the Afghan parliament and was widely criticized in the country and by Karzai, who called for new rules on how foreign troops operate.
The U.S.-led force, the United Nations and Afghanistan's government have agreed to jointly investigate the civilian deaths.
Civilian casualties resulting from military operations under NATO and US command have become a sore issue in the relationship between Afghanistan and its western allies since US-led coalition forces overthrew the Taliban regime.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 03, 2008 11:16 ET (15:16 GMT)
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I thought that never happened???!!!
Jiuk?
Jiuk..........?!!!
Mind you, is it true.............. can Dow Jones be trusted????
Can the US President be trusted?!
eek: