Afghans reject US military finding

HERAT, Afghanistan (AFP) - Afghan investigators rejected Thursday a US military finding that 33 civilians were killed in air strikes on a village in August, standing by their conclusion that 90 had died.

A US military review released Wednesday increased the force’s original toll of five to seven civilians killed in Shindand in western Afghanistan to at least 33 civilians, including a dozen children.

“This is totally wrong,” parliamentarian Mohammad Iqbal Safi, part of an investigation team appointed by President Hamid Karzai, told AFP.

“We investigated that incident and found that 90 people, all civilians, were martyred. We stand by it, we have evidence to prove our claims,” he said. Humayun Azizi, head of Herat provincial council who also took part in the investigations, echoed the dismissal.