Afghan civilian deaths big problem in war…
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. special operations forces in Afghanistan need more precision weapons systems to better avoid unintended civilian deaths, a top military officer told Congress Thursday.
The warning from U.S. Special Operations Command leader Adm. Eric T. Olson came as the Pentagon’s top military officer revealed that he does not believe discipline is warranted in the recent U.S. bombing in Afghanistan that killed dozens of Afghan citizens.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday acknowledged that the accidental killing of civilians in Afghanistan has become one of the military’s greatest strategic problems in the faltering war.
Pentagon officials are preparing to release their investigation into the May 4 bombing that was aimed at Taliban militants but also killed civilians. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, told a Pentagon press conference Thursday that he has seen nothing in the investigation that would call for disciplinary action against the U.S. forces involved.
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