Reuters
By MICHAEL HOLDEN
LONDON (Reuters) – An Afghan girl died after a box of information leaflets — dropped by a British military plane and intended to help the local population — landed on top of her, the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.
The MoD said it had launched an investigation into the incident which occurred three months ago in a rural area of Helmand in southern Afghanistan where British troops are battling Taliban insurgents.
Civilian casualties have become an extremely sensitive issue in Afghanistan, with U.S. commander General Stanley McChyrstal warning that protecting civilians from U.S. and NATO air strikes is essential to getting the upper hand in the conflict. (more…)
