KABUL - Afghanistan's government welcomed Saturday a U.S. report accepting blame for a bombing run that killed dozens of villagers, saying it confirmed that international military forces were not doing enough to safeguard civilians.
The investigation into a May battle against Taliban militants that killed at least 26 civilians was released Friday in Washington. The report prepared by U.S. Central Command recommends tighter controls -- including how airstrikes are conducted -- to limit the civilian deaths that risk turning Afghans against the U.S war effort.
Humayun Hamidzada, the spokesman for President Hamid Karzai, said he believed that the U.S. estimate of civilians killed in the May 4-5 clash in western Farah province was too low but generally welcomed the report's conclusions.
"The key thing is that the report itself said there are problems with the way operations are conducted, and that's what we've been saying," he told The Associated Press.
The report comes as President Barack Obama funnels thousands of new troops into Afghanistan to combat a strengthened Taliban insurgency which is claiming growing numbers of American lives too.
Meanwhile, an attack on a convoy in eastern Afghanistan killed a member of the U.S.-led coalition on Saturday morning. A bomb explosion also killed a NATO service member in the south on Friday, the international forces said in statements without providing further details.
In Helmand, a battle between international forces and Taliban on Friday left 26 militants dead, said Doud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial governor.
The international military engagement in Afghanistan, which began with the toppling of the Taliban in late 2001, has been punctuated with incidents in which civilians have died during military operations.
The Farah battle was one of the worst.
The report said that three U.S. airstrikes conducted after dark near the close of the chaotic fight probably accounted for the civilian deaths. It concluded that at least 78 Taliban fighters were also killed, along with five Afghan national police officers.
The Afghan government has said 140 civilians died, while an Afghan human rights group has said around 100 civilians died.
"We believe the number is much larger, but it's not useful to debate the numbers," Hamidzada said. "What is significant that's come out with this report is that mistakes were made."
The report contained only mild criticism of the B-1 bomber crew involved, however, and the nation's top military official has already said there is no reason to punish any U.S. personnel.
Hamidzada urged that better procedures be put in place quickly, both to protect the Afghan people and the wider military effort to turn back the Taliban insurgency. He did not make specific recommendations for what changes international military forces should make.
The U.S. report recommends refining procedures for operations with the potential to kill civilians and ensuring that training matches the rules. It promised a follow-up in four months on how well new tactical rules are working. It also recommended improving the military's ability to get its side of the story in front of Afghans faster.
The U.S. should be "first with the truth," the report said.
Earlier this month, Karzai met with the new U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, and told him that protecting civilians needed to be his top priority.
