US apologises for death of Afghan civilian
The US military today apologised for the death of a young Afghan civilian.
The youth was killed close to where American-led troops were battling militants in a Taliban stronghold of southern Afghanistan.
Another youth was wounded in the incident on Friday in Uruzgan province, according to spokesman Major Scott Nelson.
He said the coalition regretted and apologised for the casualties.
Nelson said the pair were hurt during an incident between militants and US-led troops, and that they “failed to halt after repeated warnings.”
He said the military was investigating the incident and that no further details were immediately available, including whether the victims were shot.
The US military says its operations across the troubled south and east of Afghanistan have kept militants, including remnants of the ousted Taliban, on the defensive in the run-up to the October 9 elections.
Scores of militants have been killed, many of them in Uruzgan and neighbouring Zabul province. But there have also been a string of civilian casualties.
Last month, the military apologised for the deaths of three unarmed Afghans who were shot dead after their pickup truck failed to stop at a checkpoint in Ghazni province.
Local leaders have repeatedly complained of heavy-handed tactics by the US-dominated coalition, especially during searches.
