U.S. military apologises for Afghan civilian deaths

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/U_S_military_apologises_for_Afghan_civilian_deaths.html?siteSect=143&sid=7798066&cKey=1178641366000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military apologised on Tuesday for the killing of Afghan civilians, calling a March incident a "terrible mistake" and making payments to families of the dead, a U.S. officer said.

Army Col. John Nicholson, commander of forces in eastern Afghanistan, said U.S. forces killed 19 people and wounded 50 in a March 4 incident, in which Marines are believed to have responded to an ambush on one of their convoys.

Nicholson, in a statement given to victims' families and later read to reporters, said he was "ashamed" that Americans had killed Afghans.

"I stand before you today deeply, deeply ashamed and terribly sorry that Americans have killed and wounded innocent Afghan people," he said. snip

He said the military made payments to families totalling about $2,000 per victim.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. "Sorry about your kid, wife, mother, here's 2 grand. Get over it."

And, the people who murdered them are getting "investigated". How nice.