KABUL, Afghanistan – The U.S. military commander in Afghanistan called President Hamid Karzai to apologize for a drone strike in southern Helmand province, which the military conceded had killed and wounded civilians, a coalition official said Friday.
Karzai had lashed out at his U.S. allies after the Thursday attack, which came at a delicate moment when talks between Karzai and the United States over a long-term security agreement have reached an impasse. U.S. officials have told Karzai that unless he signs the agreement promptly, they will begin planning for a total withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces after the end of next year.
Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, made a late-night phone call to Karzai on Thursday after the president’s criticism became public.
“He talked to President Karzai directly, expressed deep regrets for the incident and any civilian casualties, and promised to convene an immediate joint investigation to determine all the facts of what happened,” a coalition spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with official policy.
The coalition spokesman confirmed that two drone incidents had taken place in Helmand province Thursday. The first, in Garmsir district, targeted an insurgent commander traveling on a motorcycle but missed him and apparently hit civilians; one child was reported killed, and two women were severely wounded. The targeted man fled on foot and was killed by a later drone strike. In the second incident, in Nawa Barak Sai district nearby, another drone strike killed a single insurgent target and caused no civilian casualties, the spokesman said.
“Neither of the strikes were directed at a house or hit a house,” he said.
The civilian victims were apparently nearby on the road where the first attack took place. The drones were military, but in keeping with its standard practice, the coalition did not identify which country they belonged to. Both the United States and Britain are believed to have drones operating in Helmand province.
