From NYT 16 July.
Nine wounded villagers, including two women and four children, reached a Kandahar hospital on Thursday. Several were unconscious, but others described helicopters firing into their compound at 11 p.m. as they fled the house and tried to hide in an orchard.
The United States military said it was 'investigating' the reports of civilian casualties, and the governor of Kandahar Province also dispatched a delegation to the village to investigate.
The report comes just two weeks after the American commander of NATO and United States forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, issued new orders to try to reduce civilian casualties in an effort to win back the support of the Afghan people.
Over the last few years, NATO and United States operations have killed and wounded thousands of Afghans. This has contributed to a growing opposition among the public toward the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan and the government of President Hamid Karzai.
McChrystal has called for all forces to make a “cultural shift” in their approach to the insurgency in Afghanistan and focus on respecting and protecting the local population. Forces under fire and in danger have the right to defend themselves, Colonel Julian said, but “in general, if we are not certain there are no civilians in a compound we would not target the compound.”
The last bit would be laughable in a different context. Separate Link to story here
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