Political blog

Amid a U.S. apology for civilian deaths in Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. forces there is voicing some doubts about whether it was an American air strike that caused the tragedy.

McKiernan doesn’t dispute that civilians died. But he suggested that it might not have been the U.S. air strikes that killed them. He said the United States is working with the Afghan government to learn the truth.

Gen. David McKiernan (Muh-KEER’- nahn) said Wednesday that in the incident, U.S. military personnel had come to the aid of Afghan forces who may have been ambushed by the Taliban in Farah province on Sunday. He said the Taliban beheaded three civilians, perhaps to lure police.