**Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel says she “deeply regrets” any loss of innocent life, after civilians were killed in an air strike in Afghanistan.**But Mrs Merkel told parliament that Germany’s mission in Afghanistan remained necessary.
There has been heavy criticism of the strike, ordered by a German commander.
The chief of international forces in Afghanistan, US General Stanley McChrystal, has visited the scene and concluded that civilians were killed.
Gen McChrystal made an Afghan TV address promising a full investigation into the incident and stating that “nothing is more important than the safety and protection of the Afghan people”.
Gen McChrystal has made avoiding civilian deaths a priority since taking over the alliance’s Afghan campaign.
Mrs Merkel said in a speech to parliament on Tuesday: "Every innocent person killed in Afghanistan is one too many.
“Any innocent person killed or hurt, including through German actions, I deeply regret.”
“It is important to me as German chancellor to express this today, and to the Afghan people, and I think I say this in all your names,” Mrs Merkel told MPs.
She promised a thorough investigation and said: “I will ensure that we will not put a gloss on anything.”