arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Between 120 and 250 civilians are said to have been killed, possibly the largest number of noncombatants killed at US hands since the war began. Speaking today at a press conference, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld insisted that data on the attack and resulting casualties is not reliable. He says that US and Afghan investigators are just beginning to gather evidence. US military officials on the ground in Afghanistan have expressed sympathy with any civilians injured or killed by US fire, but as Free Speech Radio News correspondent Fariba Nawa reports, such sentiments may simply not be enough for the Afghan people.