AFGHANISTAN: US ‘regrets’ Afghan civilian deaths

By Al Jazeera

US ‘regrets’ Afghan civilian deaths

McKiernan said US and Nato forces were working hard to minimise civilian deaths during operations [AFP] The senior US and Nato commander in Afghanistan has apologised for civilian casualties caused by international forces, saying there is not enough money in the world to replace the loss of an Afghan life. General David McKiernan made the remarks on Sunday, following repeated calls from Hamed Karzai, the Afghan president, for explanations of civilian deaths. McKiernan said international forces did make mistakes – “and for that I apologise” – but that US and Nato forces were working hard to minimise civilian casualties during operations. Karzai had asked McKiernan to explain reports that civilians were killed in a number of recent incidents. McKiernan was repeatedly questioned on the topic at a news conference in Kabul on Sunday, and he said international forces investigated all allegations and paid compensation for any wrongful deaths. “Apologies are not sufficient, so we do try to compensate families and communities where we’ve made mistakes. But that’s not sufficient either.

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SRI LANKA: Pro-rebel report says Sri Lankan forces resume offensive after 2-day cease-fire

By KRISHAN FRANCIS, Associated Press Writer

Sri Lankan forces attacked Tamil guerrillas with mortar fire, artillery and heavy machine guns Wednesday following a two-day cease-fire aimed at letting civilians flee the war zone, a pro-rebel Web site reported. The government denied launching a new attack.

The reported fighting could mark the start of planned final assault aimed at destroying the Tamil Tigers and ending this Indian Ocean island nation’s 25-year-old civil war. However, tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped in the war zone and diplomats and human rights groups have called on both sides to exercise restraint.

The government had announced a unilateral cease-fire Monday and Tuesday and asked civilians trapped inside the war zone to move out, but only a few hundred left. The government says the rebels are preventing the civilians from escaping, while the rebels say the civilians don’t want to leave.

The TamilNet Web site said the government launched a large-scale attack for three hours Wednesday morning near a “no-fire zone” intended as a refuge for the civilians in the area. Families huddled in bunkers for safety, but as many as 180 civilians were killed in the fighting, the Web site said.

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