KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- As they trickled back to Panjwaii district on Friday, some Afghan civilians said they will bury innocent family members who died in NATO's recent bombardment of the former Taliban stronghold.
Interviews with returning families indicate the civilian death toll in the district west of Kandahar city could be higher than the 13 acknowledged by provincial officials.
NATO says there is no way to know for sure how many innocent people caught in the fierce battles might have been killed, but the alliance has done everything possible to avoid civilian casualties.
Retired farmer Toor Jaan claimed 26 family members, including men, women and children, died in Sperwan on the western edge of the battle zone during bombing and helicopter gunship attacks.
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"Everybody thought the operation would remove the Taliban and security would improve," Jaan said through an interpreter.
"Instead, innocent civilians were attacked and several of my family members are still buried in rubble. This is not what we expected."
And, in a flashback to the recent Israel/Lebanon war:
Faced with questions about civilian deaths, NATO has taken pains to point out the ample warnings area residents received to get out of the combat zone. For days, the area was scattered with leaflets and NATO forces openly warned days in advance that an attack was imminent.
We, the Afghans and the rest of the world deserve to know how many innocent civilians have been killed in this war.
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