Seven children were killed when US-led coalition jets bombed a religious school in south-eastern Afghanistan, prompting hasty apologies yesterday and attempts to deflect the blame from the military.
"We are truly sorry," a coalition spokesman, Major Chris Belcher, said in a statement. He said there had been no indications that there were children inside the building.
The incident came as humanitarian and aid agencies prepared to issue a damning statement about the killing of civilians by Nato and US forces in Afghanistan. In a statement to be released tomorrow, they are expected to condemn the "disproportionate or indiscriminate use of force" which has led to more than 200 civilian deaths, including more than 50 women and children, this year.
The coalition said the latest air strike, launched with the support of Afghan troops in Zarghun Shah district of Paktika province late on Sunday, was aimed at al-Qaida fighters hiding in the compound. The grounds included a madrasa, or religious school, and a mosque, which was also damaged. The attack reportedly killed several militants, though the number of dead was not immediately confirmed.
A coalition statement said it authorised the raid after identifying "the presence of nefarious activity" and a period of surveillance when no children were seen.
"This is another example of al-Qaida using the protective status of a mosque, as well as innocent civilians, to shield themselves," Maj Belcher said. "Innocent lives were lost as a result of the militants' cowardice."
In an additional communique, the coalition's central command said militants had forced the children to stay out of view. "If the children attempted to go outside they were beaten or pushed away from the door," the press release continued.
In Washington, a White House spokesman, Tony Snow, said: "Obviously any time innocents are killed it is something that is a tragedy and certainly we grieve for those who are lost.
"We also understand that ... the Taliban and other terrorists try to transform innocents into human shields."
Many of the deaths of civilians have been caused by US forces engaged in the anti-terrorist Operation Enduring Freedom, which is separate from the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force, according to the aid agencies' statement.
In a joint statement, the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief, which groups nearly a hundred NGOs, is expected to acknowledge the difficulties facing Nato and other foreign troops in the country. However, it will insist that they must also respect international humanitarian and human rights law.
The agency is also expected to point to reports of foreign troops conducting abusive operations where they have searched homes with no respect for Afghan women or the integrity of families. It is expected to call for a permanent body of Afghan national and foreign military units, including all US forces, to monitor the conduct of operations, fully investigate civilian deaths and reports of human rights abuses, and ensure that proper compensation is paid to the families of victims.
Des Browne, the defence secretary, called for a greater UN role in Afghanistan in a speech in New York last month. The British government is concerned about the increasing number of civilian deaths, which provoke deep resentment and anger directed at foreign troops.
There was also concern in Afghanistan that yesterday's attack would again set back attempts to get children back to school in a country with 28% literacy.
"As a direct result of the security situation, we are going to face a large number of children who are going to miss out on school," said a Unicef spokeswoman, Roshan Khadivi.
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