U.S.: Airstrike killed 33 Afghan civilians

Accounts in dispute
Zemeri Bashary, Afghanistan's Interior Ministry spokesman, said Wednesday that he had not yet seen the new U.S. report, but that the Afghan government stood by its original findings.

A joint delegation of Afghan lawmakers and local officials investigated within days of the strike and concluded that around 90 Afghan civilians, including 60 children, were killed. That finding was backed by a preliminary U.N. report.

McKiernan has said there are not enough U.S. ground forces in Afghanistan, so the military is relying more heavily on air power — a greater risk in a conflict where insurgents don't wear uniforms and intentionally mix with the general population for protection.

In a trip to Afghanistan in mid-September, Defense Secretary Robert Gates offered the people of Afghanistan his "personal regrets" over the civilian deaths and said he would try to improve the accuracy of air operations.

Gates: More forces needed
Separately on Wednesday, Gates urged Eastern European leaders to shift their military efforts from Iraq to Afghanistan, where their forces are more urgently needed.

Speaking at a meeting of the Southeast European Defense Ministerial in Macedonia, Gates said that as the security situation in Iraq continues to improve, countries should consider filling the "urgent need" for trainers in Afghanistan.

"Your assistance will not only help Afghanistan better protect and care for its citizens, it will also reinforce your important role in insuring peace and stability around the globe," Gates said during a press conference with the Macedonian minister of defense.

Combined, the 11 members of SEDM (not counting the United States) have nearly 5,100 troops already in Afghanistan. Just one of the member nations, Bosnia-Herzegovina, has no troops there. It was not immediately clear how many of those nations have troops in Iraq.

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