KABUL (AFP) — The United Nations said Monday that whoever was behind "significant" civilian deaths in heavy fighting and US air strikes against Taliban militants in Afghanistan last week must be held accountable.
The UN mission in Kabul said the safety of civilians must come first in any military operation, and welcomed a US decision to re-examine its use of air strikes after last week's deaths in the west of the country.
President Hamid Karzai has said 125 to 130 civilians, including women and children, were killed in US air strikes that followed a heavy battle in the western province of Farah. Locals have put the toll as high as 167.
The US military says its preliminary findings confirm "a number" of civilians were killed but has alleged that the insurgents may have been responsible for some of the deaths.
"While the number of civilian casualties remains disputed, it is clear that a significant number have perished," UN spokesman Aleem Siddique said.
"Whoever caused the loss of these lives must be held accountable," he told reporters.
Siddique welcomed the US investigation announced Sunday, saying the United Nations had already highlighted that a "large number" of civilian casualties in international military action against militants were from air strikes.
The UN says nearly two-thirds of 828 civilians allegedly killed by pro-government forces in Afghanistan's conflict last year died in air strikes.
Insurgents were however responsible for 55 percent of the 2,118 civilian deaths in 2008, the deadliest year since the 2001 US-led invasion ousted the Taliban regime, it says.
"While the United Nations is not in a position to advise the military on tactics, we have made clear that in the planning and implementation of such operations, the welfare of civilians must come first," Siddique said.
Asked about suggestions that the military may have used a chemical called white phosphorous in the strikes, the UN spokesman said he expected that to be an important part of a joint Afghan and US investigation under way.
An Afghan doctor who treated some of the wounded said second- and third-degree burns may have been caused by the substance, although they may also have been caused by hand grenades or a flammable liquid-like petrol.
The United States military has rejected the claim, saying it does not use white phosphorous in battle although it has records of 40 incidents where insurgents have used the substance against troops.
AFP
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