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U.S.
Bombing Kills Dozens in Southern Afghanistan
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An
Afghan victim of an “errant” U.S. bomb which hit a wedding
party in southern Afghanistan
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KABUL,
July 1 (News Agencies) – U.S. bombing killed 40 people at a wedding
party in southern Afghanistan late Sunday, June 30, a local official
said Monday, July 1, as the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported over
100 deaths.
“According
to our reports 40 people have been killed and another 60 to 70 people
wounded,” an official in Uruzgan province told Agence France-Presse
(AFP) by satellite telephone.
The
bomb attack was on a wedding party in Kakrakai village in Dehrawad
district in Uruzgan, north of the main southern province of Kandahar.
“It
happened around midnight. It was a wedding party in which some people
were firing in jubilation and the Americans misunderstood and
bombarded the place,” the official said.
AIP,
citing informed sources said more than 100 people including women and
children were killed in the raid.
In
Washington, a U.S. defense official said that a bomb had gone astray
during an air attack on an anti-aircraft artillery gun that was fired
at a coalition reconnaissance patrol in Oruzgan.
The
official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon was
aware of reports of civilian casualties but it was unclear whether
they resulted from the errant bomb or the artillery fire.
“During
the mission, an anti-aircraft artillery was firing upon the coalition
planes. That particular site was engaged with close air support.
“An
undetermined number of bombs was dropped on it. At least one of those
bombs was errant. We do not know where it fell,” the official said.
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