US forces admit killing 33 civilians in Taliban clash

US military in Afghanistan says investigation into November gunfight confirms civilian casualties, including children.

A US military investigation has found that air raids targeting the Taliban during a gun battle in northern Afghanistan last year killed 33 civilians.
Twenty-seven other civilians were wounded in the village of Boz in Kunduz city, a statement from US Forces Afghanistan said on Thursday.
The incident on November 3 saw US and Afghan troops carrying out a ground assault against the Taliban when they came under fire from the armed group, prompting a call for air reinforcements.
"Regardless of the circumstances, I deeply regret the loss of innocent lives," General John Nicholson, the top commander of US forces and the NATO mission, said.
According to the statement, the operation was launched to capture Taliban commanders the US said were behind the capture of parts of Kunduz in October 2015.
The civilian deaths caused an uproar and the United Nations and humanitarian organisations condemned the bombing raid.
"The loss of civilian life is unacceptable and undermines efforts towards building peace and stability in Afghanistan," Tadamichi Yamamoto, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, said in a statement after the raid.
Residents carried more than a dozen bodies, including children, towards a local governor's office in a show of anger.

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