Dozens of civilian deaths were reported in fighting in southern Afghanistan as Afghan and international forces regained control of a district in Uruzgan province and NATO carried out an airstrike on guerilla fighters in Helmand province, accoridng to dpa. Helmand provincial police chief Mohammad Hussain Andewal said 25 civilians, including three infants and nine women, were killed Friday along with 20 insurgents during fighting with NATO-led troops. The civilians were killed when the guerillas, identified as Taliban forces by villagers, took shelter in homes in the Deh Adam Khan village of the Gerishk district and NATO carried out an airstrike on two houses, Andewal said. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) reported, meanwhile, that an undetermined number of civilian deaths occurred as Afghan and ISAF forces re-established their control over Uruzgan's Chora district. Full control of the district returned to the allied forces after they recaptured three remote police checkpoints that briefly came under insurgent control, the ISAF said overnight. ISAF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mike Smith said the ISAF was investigating the deaths, adding that is was not immediately clear how many civilians or insurgents were killed or how those civilians died. Afghan officials, however, have reported that dozens of civilians were killed. Some of the civilians might have been killed by the Taliban, others might have been caught in cross-fires or died in airstrikes, said Smith, adding that it was difficult to determine during conflicts. "We are pleased the district is once again safe for the local population but saddened that there apparently were civilian deaths and injuries," Smith said. Fighting started in the Chora district over the weekend when hundreds of Taliban fighters launched raids on police posts. Afghan and ISAF forces responded with airstrikes. Among the civilian deaths in Helmand, Andewal said, was the local mullah, saying he was informed of the NATO airstrike when villagers came to his office to complain. "The villagers said that Taliban attacked NATO forces first and then took shelter in the ordinary people's houses," Andewal added. The police chief promised an investigation into the incident, and the ISAF also said it had mounted an inquiry into the reports of civilian deaths. It added, however, that it had been unable to confirm any civilian deaths or injuries. It also said the insurgents attacked first and up to 30 took cover in a compound and most were killed. Qari Mohammad Yousif Ahmadi, a purported Taliban spokesman, said Taliban fighters had engaged NATO forces in the area but said in a telephone interview that they had already left the area when the airstrike took place. He also claimed that several NATO troops were killed in the engagement and two tanks destroyed. The ISAF statement did not report any casualties on its side or the use of tanks.
