civilian casualties news stories on Newser

NATO 'Sorry' for Airstrike That Kills Mom, 5 Kids

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:54:05 CDT

The US military expressed regret today for killing a mother and five of her children in an airstrike in southwestern Afghanistan, the New York Times reports. The Friday attack, which was aimed at Taliban forces, killed the mother, three girls, and two boys—and possibly eight other civilians, the Washington...

Soldier Suspected in Afghan Killing Spree Is Dad of 2

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 07:57:40 CDT

Details are beginning to emerge about the still-unnamed soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians yesterday. An official who spoke to the New York Times says the Army staff sergeant was part of a village stabilization operation in the rural Panjwai district of Kandahar, in which Green Berets forge close...

Obama: We'll Find 'Anyone Responsible' in Afghan Shooting

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:53:06 CDT

President Obama weighed in today with his own reaction to the 16 Afghans allegedly gunned down by one or more US soldiers, the AP reports. He called the killings "tragic and shocking" and promised "to get the facts as quickly as possible and to hold accountable anyone responsible." Earlier, Defense...

Afghanistan on Brink Over US Soldier Killings

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 11:54:59 CDT

US and Afghan officials alike are scrambling in the wake of today's rampage that claimed the lives of 16 Afghan civilians , as relations between the two nations threaten to boil over. The latest reactions, along with emerging details: Reuters has the most incendiary report, alleging that more than one US...

Harry Reid: Afghan Shooting 'Very Sad, Wrong'

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 08:50:27 CDT

Damage control has begun in today's Afghanistan shooting rampage by an American soldier , with Harry Reid condemning the incident as "absolutely wrong. Our hearts go out to these innocent people." The death toll is still uncertain, but most victims appear to have been civilians. Reid called the deaths "very, very...

US Soldier Fires on Afghan Civilians, Kills at Least 16

Mark Russell — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 07:21:49 CDT

A US soldier in southern Afghanistan has been detained after he walked off his base this morning, shooting and killing civilians in the area, reports the New York Times . At least 16 are dead in the rampage, reports the BBC , with many women and children among them. The soldier reportedly...

Victims of US Strikes in Pakistan: Mostly Militants

Mark Russell — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 06:06:47 CST

The Pakistani public widely believes that American drone strikes there overwhelmingly hit civilians, not militants. However, an investigation of the 10 deadliest attacks over the past 18 months in the main militant region along the Afghan border shows that 70% of those killed were militants, according to an investigation by...

US Soldiers Executed Iraqi Toddlers: WikiLeaks

Kevin Spak — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:09:45 CDT

In 2006, a group of US soldiers burst into a house in Ishaqi, Iraq, where they handcuffed and executed at least 10 people—including an infant and four other children, none older than five years old—then called an airstrike to cover up the evidence. Or at least that’s the...

Roadside Bombs Kill 19 in Afghanistan

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 08:03:29 CDT

Two roadside bombs killed 19 people and wounded four today in Afghanistan as civilians are increasingly being caught in crossfire of the fighting between the Taliban and the US-led coalition. A minibus ran over a bomb in Nahri Sarraj district of Helmand province, with the blast killing all 18 passengers,...