US bombing raid kills 11 Afghans

An American helicopter bombed a village home in southern Afghanistan killing 11 people, four of them children, Afghan officials said yesterday.

The US military confirmed a weekend raid in the area, and said it had "killed five armed anti-coalition militia members" but had no information about civilian casualties.

Abdul Rahman, chief of Char Chino district in Uruzgan province, said the attack happened at about 9pm on Sunday in Saghatho, a village that US forces hunting for Taliban insurgents had searched the day before. "They were simple villagers, he said, "They were not Taliban." The governor of Uruzgan, Jan Mohammed Khan, confirmed Mr Rahman's account that four men, four children and three women were killed. He said US authorities had told him they spotted ammunition in the village, which apparently raised suspicions. During the search, "the people were afraid, they started running," Mr Khan said. "The Americans bombed this home."

Mr Rahman said the 11 victims were buried yesterday in the village, where residents were "very afraid and very angry."