Pentagon confirms Kabul raid blunder

Source: BBC News
Wednesday, 17 October, 2001, 00:52 GMT 01:52 UK

The Pentagon has admitted mistakenly bombing a warehouse used by the Red Cross during a raid on the Afghan capital Kabul.

A statement said warplanes dropped 1,000 pound (454 kg) bombs that inadvertently hit one or more Red Cross buildings on Tuesday.

The Pentagon said it "did not know" the Red Cross was using warehouses that were among facilities used by the Taleban to store ammunition.

Red Cross reports "indicate that wheat and other humanitarian supplies stored in the warehouses were destroyed, and an Afghan security guard was injured" in the incident, the Pentagon said.

The apparent blunder followed the killing of four Afghan guards from a UN mine clearance agency in Kabul nearly two weeks ago when another bomb went astray.

Several villagers were also reported to have died when two bombs meant for Kabul airport went astray.

The Pentagon said earlier that dozens of US navy and air force planes were hitting other targets including the capital, Kabul.

A Marine Corps spokesman said US and UK forces had struck military targets and guerrilla bases with "well over 2,000" bombs and missiles since strikes began on 7 October.

More than 100 US planes were used in raids on Monday and nearly that many on Tuesday, the official said.

Ground forces

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The strikes came as the use of low-flying AC-130 gunships signalled a new phase in the operation, with the US appearing to be moving towards deploying ground troops in Afghanistan to hunt down Osama Bin Laden.

A Red Cross spokesman said the compound which was hit was only a kilometre from the airport, but was clearly marked from the air.

The Red Cross has lodged an official complaint with the United States.

"It is definitely a civilian target. In addition to that, it is a clearly marked ICRC warehouse," said Robert Moni, head of the ICRC delegation in Kabul and now evacuated to Pakistan.

"It is marked on the top with a red cross. People should take all necessary measures to avoid such things," he said.

'Search and destroy' aircraft

The AC-130 now being used are among America's most lethal aircraft. They are especially suited to tracking small groups of troops and convoys of vehicles.

A BBC correspondent in northern Afghanistan says the use of the plane indicates that the US is now confident that it has destroyed most of the Taleban's air defences.

It may be a prelude to the first use of ground troops.

But the BBC's John Simpson, north of Kabul, says Taleban reinforcements have moved into position on the front line.

Opposition Northern Alliance troops have claimed that Mazar-e-Sharif could fall within days - they say they have already captured the airport.

The claims could not be verified, but the airport has changed hands several times in the last 24 hours.

Looting

The UN has warned that law and order appears to be breaking down in some cities in Afghanistan.

A gang of armed men attacked the offices of a British based aid organisation Islamic Relief in Kandahar, and then clashed with Taleban officials.

And in Mazar-e-Sharif, Taleban members looted the offices of another organisation.

In other cities, United Nations and other agencies have had their offices occupied and vehicles stolen.