Sources: US says civilian deaths in Afghanistan were overstated

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
After reviewing a disputed airstrike on a village in Afghanistan, US officials have concluded that the civilian death toll was far lower than claimed by the Afghan government and the UN, two US defense officials said Thursday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the results of the review have not been announced publicly, said Afghan officials have been presented the findings, which say 25 militants were killed, plus five civilians. Afghan officials have said that between 76 and 90 civilians were killed. Also, the US government is pressing for a joint US-Afghan probe in hopes of reaching a common conclusion about an incident that stirred outrage in Afghanistan and frustration among US officials. It was not clear Thursday whether the Afghan government accepted the findings of the US review or whether a joint probe would go forward. Details of how the US review was conducted were not immediately available.