By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
29 October 2001

There have been four separate reports of accidental US strikes on civilian targets in Afghanistan in the past 48 hours, including the bombing of a village in the area controlled by the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.

The mother of the seven dead children stood watching as the bodies of the youngsters were pulled from a smouldering building and wrapped in shrouds. "What shall I do now? Look at their savageness," she said. "They killed all of my children and husband. The whole world is responsible for this tragedy. Why are they not taking any decision to stop this?"

In the second fatal bombing error in less than 24 hours, US strikes on Afghanistan killed at least 13 civilians yesterday – among them seven children who died as they sat eating breakfast with their father.

The children were killed in the Qali Hotair neighbourhood of northern Kabul, the Afghan capital where the US was apparently aiming at military targets on the northern and eastern edges of the city. Reports told of a man who lived in the house next to where the seven children were killed, hugging the body of his own son who was also killed as other corpses lay in the dust.

The latest civilian casualties came as the US entered its fourth week of strikes against targets inside Afghanistan.

On Saturday, American missiles killed up to nine civilians when a missile mistakenly hit two villages in territory controlled by the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. The Pentagon said that it had no immediate comment on reports of the casualties.

Witnesses in Kabul said the missile strikes took place at 7am yesterday morning as the US also launched raids against targets in Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar, Herat and Jalalabad.

The mother of the seven dead children stood watching as the bodies of the youngsters were pulled from a smouldering building and wrapped in shrouds. "What shall I do now? Look at their savageness," she said. "They killed all of my children and husband. The whole world is responsible for this tragedy. Why are they not taking any decision to stop this?"

The attack on Kabul happened a day after an apparent errant bombardment hit two villages behind the rebel military alliance's battle lines north of the capital. A third village behind Taliban lines was also hit. Witnesses said up to nine civilians were killed and another 10 were injured.

Kate Rowlands, the British programme director of the Italian-run Emergency Surgical Centre for War Victims, which is inside Northern Alliance territory, said the centre was starting to see increasing numbers of civilian casualties. Those injured inside the territory held by the Taliban were crossing the front line on donkeys to seek treatment.

"Myself and staff are deeply shocked, especially when you see a four-year-old child and old people coming in,'' she said. "We are totally against any form of war or violent attacks that involve the death and mutilation of innocent civilians."

While the Pentagon said it could not confirm the casualties, the Northern Alliance confirmed that some of the strikes had hit the wrong targets.

Though the US strikes on Saturday were aimed at the Taliban front line north of Kabul, they instead struck three villages – Ghanikheil and Raqi on the opposition side and Nikhahil, which is behind Taliban lines.

Villagers in Ghanikheil said two mud houses had been hit. In one of them, a family was preparing for a wedding, they said. In the worst-hit house, the villagers said that a woman aged 20 was killed and six people were hurt. Four others were hurt in the second house, they said. "The sound was huge. The plane swooped down – I could hear it dive,'' said Amin Ullah, aged 70. "I heard the huge explosion."

The Northern Alliance's "foreign minister", Abdullah Abdullah, has called for better co-ordination of US targeting, using information provided by his forces. "I would say that it could be much more effective than it is," he said. "It has paralysed the Taliban. As a military force the Taliban are paralysed. But ... there is lots of room for improvement."

Also from the Asia China section.
Full list of 30 October articles
No cure for the victims of Kabul's rabid dogs
Don't confuse food parcels with cluster bombs, warns US
Muslims join Christians to mourn church victims
Saifullah, man of peace, killed by American cruise missile