By KUNA,
Washington : The United States has pledged to do its best to avert civilian casualties during military action in Afghanistan.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, late Wednesday, affirmed the US would do “everything in its power” to halt civilian casualties in Afghanistan. She also told reporters that the U.S. would do everything to express regrets and condolences to the families of those being killed.
Clinton’s remarks came after 14 Afghan civilians were killed on Saturday in a NATO air strike in Taliban hub in southern Helmand province.
The issue has long been a major irritant in relations between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Clinton said it is a “tragic fact” that some civilian casualties are unavoidable in a conflict like the one in Afghanistan, adding that every such an incident is thoroughly investigated, however, and that allied commander General David Petraeus has pledged to work to reduce the casualty toll.