Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday visited grieving relatives of civilians said to have died in a US-led coalition strike last month, promising swift punishment for those responsible. Anger has mounted over the August 22 raid in western Herat's Shindand district in which the Afghan government says more than 90 people, mostly women and children, were killed, an allegation backed by the United Nations.
The US military disputes the figure, saying its investigation found five to seven civilians were killed in the operation carried out with the Afghan National Army. "I have been working day and night in the past five years to prevent such incidents, but I haven't been successful in my efforts", Karzai told a 1,000 strong crowd that gathered near the bombed village demanding action against those guilty.
"If I had succeeded, the people of Azizabad wouldn't be bathed in blood," Karzai, who later flew over the bombed village, said. He told the elders that he would ensure that those responsible would be brought to justice. More than 500 civilians have been killed during operations by foreign and Afghan forces against the militants so far this year, according to the Afghan government and some aid groups, fuelling anger and causing a rift with foreign forces.