U.S. Disputes Report of Mistaken Afghan Strike

The U.S. Army said one of its gunship aircraft had killed about 10 people in a new operation against remnants of Al Qaeda and Taliban forces, but it rejected a report that the crew had mistaken celebratory gunfire for an attack.

Meanwhile, a 1,000-strong force led by British Royal Marines was airlifted to the turbulent Paktia-Khowst region for Operation Condor, aimed at hunting down a “substantial” force of suspected Al Qaeda and Taliban militants in the area, a coalition spokesman said.

U.S. warplanes and helicopters took off from Bagram air base, the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition, throughout Saturday.

“We have gone out in support. If we come across Al Qaeda, we will engage. We are searching,” Royal Marines spokesman Lt. Col. Ben Curry told reporters at the allied headquarters inside Bagram, north of Kabul.

The Pakistani-based Afghan Islamic Press agency reported Friday that U.S. planes had pounded Bul Khil village in Khowst province for several hours Thursday night, after a U.S. helicopter crew mistook traditional firing at a wedding for an attack.

But U.S. Army spokesman Maj. Bryan Hilferty said the air attack was launched after coalition forces came under fire from suspected Islamic militants belonging to Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda network or their Taliban allies.

“About 10 people were killed in Thursday night’s bombing on an uninhabited ridge line,” he said.

“I believe the report about the wedding is all wrong.... We believe this is an Al Qaeda and Taliban area. There were people on the ridge line who fired heavy weapons on an Australian patrol and then chased them. We have a right to self-defense.”