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A Pakistani airstrike has killed as many as 70 civilians, according to a local resident, one of the worst mistakes made by the Pakistani military in its war against militants along the Afghanistan border.[/B]
The Pakistani military, like the United States military in Afghanistan, acknowledges civilian casualty incidents undercut support for their efforts and help push local residents to support the militants.
The airstrikes occurred on Saturday afternoon when Pakistani jets twice bombed a house the military believed was hosting a tribal meeting of militants, according to the local resident, who declined to be identified.
The house was supposed to host a meeting convened by Mangal Bagh, one of the most powerful militants in the region and the target of a recent military operation. But at the last minute, the meeting was canceled, the resident said, and the house was full of civilians instead. The first airstrike destroyed the house and when residents rushed to the scene to help the victims, a second airstrike killed dozens more.
A military official who declined to be named acknowledged, "There is a possibility of a bomb going astray which could have killed a few civilians," but denied the number could be as high as 70.
The jets were targeting militant bunkers close to inhabited areas, the official said, and so "there is also the possibility of human error" by the pilots.
A government official in the Khyber tribal territory where the airstrikes took place has already handed out $125,000 to compensate victims of the dead, according to the Associated Press.
Pakistan's military chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, on Saturday made an unusual public apology over the killings of civilians during la security operation last week in a tribal region near the Afghan border.
Locals said that more than 70 non-combatants from the Kuki Khel tribe died and 50 were injured last Saturday when two jet fighters pounded a residential area in the Tirah valley, where government forces are fighting Islamists insurgents.
The army initially put the death toll at 42, claiming that all those killed were militants.
The position was corrected a week later when Kayani "apologized to the Kuki Khel tribe of Tirah Valley for an unfortunate incident" that "resulted in loss of precious and innocent civilian lives."
Kayani offered his "heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families," while stating that he had "ordered measures to avoid a re- occurrence of such incidents in future," said a military statement. The statement did not mention how many civilians were killed.
Residents of the village of Sara and a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the German Press Agency dpa last Sunday that the jet fighters first bombarded a cluster of six houses and struck again when the people gathered to pull the dead and injured from the rubble.
A local intelligence official said "bad intelligence" might have resulted in the tragedy. Pakistan's English-language Dawn newspaper reported that women and children were among the killed.
The incident generated sharp criticism from tribal elders, rights activists and local media, warning the military faced losing support for its US-backed assaults against Islamist extremists in tribal region.
"It was the first time any Pakistani army chief has formally apologized over the killings of civilians," said an official at the military's media wing. "Although regrets had been expressed previously, the apology is the first," added the official who requested anonymity.
Pakistani forces are conducting several operations in the tribal region from where Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters launch cross border raids on international forces in Afghanistan and also target civilians and officials in Pakistan, a key US ally in the fight against terrorism.
The remote, mountainous region remains almost inaccessible to journalists and chances of verifying the death toll announced by authorities are limited.
The Pakistani military, like the United States military in Afghanistan, acknowledges civilian casualty incidents undercut support for their efforts and help push local residents to support the militants.
The airstrikes occurred on Saturday afternoon when Pakistani jets twice bombed a house the military believed was hosting a tribal meeting of militants, according to the local resident, who declined to be identified.
The house was supposed to host a meeting convened by Mangal Bagh, one of the most powerful militants in the region and the target of a recent military operation. But at the last minute, the meeting was canceled, the resident said, and the house was full of civilians instead. The first airstrike destroyed the house and when residents rushed to the scene to help the victims, a second airstrike killed dozens more.
A military official who declined to be named acknowledged, "There is a possibility of a bomb going astray which could have killed a few civilians," but denied the number could be as high as 70.
The jets were targeting militant bunkers close to inhabited areas, the official said, and so "there is also the possibility of human error" by the pilots.
A government official in the Khyber tribal territory where the airstrikes took place has already handed out $125,000 to compensate victims of the dead, according to the Associated Press.
Pakistan's military chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, on Saturday made an unusual public apology over the killings of civilians during la security operation last week in a tribal region near the Afghan border.
Locals said that more than 70 non-combatants from the Kuki Khel tribe died and 50 were injured last Saturday when two jet fighters pounded a residential area in the Tirah valley, where government forces are fighting Islamists insurgents.
The army initially put the death toll at 42, claiming that all those killed were militants.
The position was corrected a week later when Kayani "apologized to the Kuki Khel tribe of Tirah Valley for an unfortunate incident" that "resulted in loss of precious and innocent civilian lives."
Kayani offered his "heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families," while stating that he had "ordered measures to avoid a re- occurrence of such incidents in future," said a military statement. The statement did not mention how many civilians were killed.
Residents of the village of Sara and a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the German Press Agency dpa last Sunday that the jet fighters first bombarded a cluster of six houses and struck again when the people gathered to pull the dead and injured from the rubble.
A local intelligence official said "bad intelligence" might have resulted in the tragedy. Pakistan's English-language Dawn newspaper reported that women and children were among the killed.
The incident generated sharp criticism from tribal elders, rights activists and local media, warning the military faced losing support for its US-backed assaults against Islamist extremists in tribal region.
"It was the first time any Pakistani army chief has formally apologized over the killings of civilians," said an official at the military's media wing. "Although regrets had been expressed previously, the apology is the first," added the official who requested anonymity.
Pakistani forces are conducting several operations in the tribal region from where Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters launch cross border raids on international forces in Afghanistan and also target civilians and officials in Pakistan, a key US ally in the fight against terrorism.
The remote, mountainous region remains almost inaccessible to journalists and chances of verifying the death toll announced by authorities are limited.
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