NATO officials acknowledge mistake in deaths of 4 Afghan civilians

Western military officials on Wednesday acknowledged a case of mistaken identity in the killings of four Afghan civilians in eastern Afghanistan -- the second such lethal episode in just over a week.

NATO had initially described two of the four occupants of a car that was fired on Monday night by troops in Khowst province as “known insurgents.” The soldiers, whose nationality was not disclosed, unleashed a fusillade of bullets after the vehicle accelerated toward a military convoy, according to alliance officials’ account.

Family members and local officials had insisted that the group, which included three teen-age boys, was returning home from a sporting event.

They said none of the car’s occupants had links to the insurgency -- in fact, one was a police officer. And they expressed vehement disbelief that the four, none of whom was armed, had demonstrated any hostile intent toward the Western troops.

The episode came seven days after American troops in Kandahar province -- apparently believing themselves under imminent threat of attack -- also fired on a vehicle approaching a military convoy. It turned out to be a passenger bus, and four Afghans aboard were killed, including a woman.

NATO said Wednesday that its description of two of the dead in Khowst as insurgents was based on the presence of their fingerprints in a military database. But those indexed in the database include not only captured insurgents, but also members of the Afghan security forces, employees of the coalition and others.

President Hamid Karzai condemned the killings even before NATO acknowledged its mistake. The Afghan leader, who had a series of sharp exchanges with his Western backers earlier this month, has been harshly critical of civilian deaths caused by foreign forces.

The latest deaths are likely to add to a growing furor over civilian casualties, which have steadily increased as the nearly nine-year conflict has dragged on. Even though almost three-quarters of such deaths are blamed on insurgents, many Afghans believe that Western troops should be held to a higher standard.

More than 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed in war-related violence in 2009, according to U.N. figures.

U.S. Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of Western forces in Afghanistan, has declared the safeguarding of civilians a top priority because the wrongful deaths of noncombatants tend to fuel support for the insurgency.

However, with the tempo of fighting increasing, such episodes are proving difficult to avoid. With an infusion of 30,000 additional U.S. troops this year and a major military operation expected during the spring and summer in Kandahar province, the issue has taken on greater urgency.

The deaths in Khowst and Kandahar also illustrated the potential for fatal error in NATO’s so-called “escalation of force” procedures, which call for live fire to be employed only as a last resort. Military officials said in both instances, troops tried to warn the vehicles away with flashing lights and warning shots. However, witnesses aboard the Kandahar bus said they received no such warning.

NATO said it was dispatching training teams across Afghanistan in coming days to work with troops and commanders in an effort to to stem accidental civilian deaths.

“We sincerely regret this tragic loss of life,” said Maj. Gen. Mike Regner, the coalition’s deputy chief of staff for joint operations. “Commanders at all levels are increasing efforts to protect the Afghan people affected by our operations.”

The Khowst shooting remained under investigation, NATO said.

laura.king@latimes.com