**The commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan has apologised after rockets fired during an offensive in Helmand province killed 12 civilians.**Gen Stanley McChrystal said he “deeply regretted this tragic loss of life” and suspended use of the rocket launching system pending a “thorough review”.
It came as Operation Moshtarak - a huge campaign targeting Taliban strongholds in the south - entered its third day.
US, UK and Afghan forces have been working to find and defuse bombs.
Operation Moshtarak, meaning “together” in the Dari language, is the biggest coalition attack since the Taliban fell in 2001.
The operation is also considered the first big test of US President Barack Obama’s new “surge” strategy for Afghanistan.
Slow progress
Moving into the centre of the town of Marjah on Sunday, US marines and Afghan soldiers came under intense fire from Taliban fighters.
Insurgents were believed to be holed up in a nearby compound, so two rockets were fired by a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HMARS), a truck-mounted multiple rocket launcher.
The rockets, however, veered off course and hit a house about 300m (980ft) from their intended target, killing 12 civilians, according to Nato.
President Hamid Karzai has called for an investigation into the deaths. Ten of those killed were from the same family, his office said.
Gen McChrystal said: "The current operation in Central Helmand is aimed at restoring security and stability to this vital area of Afghanistan.
“It’s regrettable that in the course of our joint efforts, innocent lives were lost. We extend our heartfelt sympathies and will ensure we do all we can to avoid future incidents.”
The use of the HMARS involved has been suspended pending review.
ANALYSIS
Frank Gardner,
BBC News, KandaharBuilding by building, compound by compound, US Marines and British troops are trying to clear Marjah and Nad Ali district of hundreds, possibly thousands, of booby traps planted by insurgents. The US military told me they had started receiving tip-offs from local residents about where the bombs were hidden.
Many of those residents are believed to be cautious about welcoming government forces for fear they will soon depart again. Tribal councils are being held in both districts with the aim of persuading the population to back their government and not the Taliban.
According to a senior Nato officer joint Afghan-Nato patrol bases will soon be set up in the area, and 900 newly trained Afghan police are poised to come in to re-establish government control.
The BBC’s Frank Gardner in Kandahar says the deaths are very damaging for a campaign aimed at protecting the local population and driving a wedge between them and the insurgents.
It is exactly the kind of incident that Afghanistan leaders had said must be avoided and which they know can play straight into the Taliban’s hands, he adds.
In the meantime, the progress in Marjah is slow and painstaking, and officials say the town may not be cleared out for weeks.
US Marines commander Brig Gen Larry Nicholson told the AFP news agency his forces had “blown up a lot of IEDs” and come up against “a lot of sniper fire”.
He said it could take up to 30 days to make the area safe.
To the north in Nad Ali district, British forces appear to be facing less resistance, says the BBC’s Martin Patience in Kabul.
They have also started reaching out to residents, assuring them of their intentions and hoping to build trust, and to local elders by holding meetings with them and promising to bring large numbers of police, our correspondent says.
‘Good start’
Operation Moshtarak began before dawn on Saturday when more than 15,000 troops flew into central Helmand.
HAVE YOUR SAY
“* The “surge” approach drove most of the insurgents out of Iraq and there is no reason why it shouldn’t work in Afghanistan*”
Alan Trent, London
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US forces, led by 4,000 Marines, are focusing on Marjah, while 4,000 British troops are in Nad Ali. A large Afghan force, as well as Canadians, Danes and Estonians, is also involved.
Three Isaf deaths related to Operation Moshtarak have been confirmed.
On Saturday, a British soldier, Lance Sergeant David Greenhalgh of 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, died in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack, while a US soldier was killed by gunfire in Marjah.
On Sunday, another service member was killed in an IED attack.
At least 20 Taliban fighters were killed and another 11 detained on Saturday, an Afghan commander said.
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm Mike Mullen, said the assault had got “off to a good start”.
“It’s actually very difficult to predict [the end]. We have from a planning standpoint talked about a few weeks, but I don’t know that,” he added.
OPERATION MOSHTARAK:DAY TWO - 14 FEBRUARY 2010
- 1: British forces find cache of IEDs, along with tunnels and ammunition dumps in this area
- 2: UK/Danish troops continue to disrupt Taliban movements; small arms contacts reported
- 3: US and UK forces operating either side of Canal 56 crossings consolidate their hold on the area
- 4: Bulk of British operations going on in this area; clearing and holding village-by-village
- 5: US forces continue air and ground assaults; On the outskirts of Marjah two rockets miss their targets, striking a house and killing 12 civilians
Source: UK Ministry of Defence
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