US warplanes bomb militant compound in eastern Afghanistan 04.07.2005 KABUL (AFP) - US warplanes bombed a militant compound in eastern Afghanistan, the US military said, as the search continued for a missing special forces team that disappeared five days ago during a rescue attempt that ended in a US helicopter being shot down. "We had an air strike target an enemy compound on Kunar, which in our assessment we had to hit immediately," spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jerry O'Hara said Saturday. "The bombardment was done using precision guided munitions." It was still unclear whether there were any casualties in the attack, which was carried out at 17:30 (1400 GMT) Friday, O'Hara said. Kunar governor Asadullah Wafa said there had been an air strike on Chichal village in Kunar but he could not confirm Taliban claims of civilian casualties. Taliban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi told AFP Saturday that the air strike killed 25 civilians, including children. The strike came amid a search for a small US reconnaissance team that disappeared during a rescue attempt by a US helicopter that was subsequently shot down. The Chinook helicopter was downed Tuesday by what is believed to be a rocket propelled grenade, killing 16 military personnel, including eight elite US Navy SEALs. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack. Some 18,000 troops, including 16,000 US service members, are in Afghanistan trying to hunt down remnants of the ousted Taliban regime and Al-Qaeda linked militants. The Taliban were toppled nearly four years ago by US-led forces but they have launched a renewed insurgency in recent months that has claimed more than 500 lives. Most of the casualties have been suffered by militants. << | >> |
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