US Was Looking For Taliban Commander

They were aiming for a Taliban commander. Instead, an American warplane flying over Afghanistan hit a village in the Afghan mountains, killing nine children.

American officials say the attack indeed killed former Taliban commander Mullah Wazir. Locals in the village, however, say he escaped. Still, the collateral damage threatened to inflame the Afghan public. American Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said he was "deeply saddened" by what he termed the "tragic loss of life" in the village of Hutala in southern Afghanistan.

It was the latest strike in which civilians were killed, prompting the UN envoy to that war-torn country to say he's "profoundly distressed." Lakhdar Brahimi said the airstrike, "follows similar incidents (and) adds to a sense of insecurity and fear in the country."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned American forces to "be very careful not to repeat such tragedies."

"They were just playing ball, and then the shots came down," said one witness. The man, Hamidullah, said his eight-year-old son, Habibullah, was among those killed.

"At the time we initiated the attack, we did not know there were children nearby," said Army Major Christopher West. He said American soldiers went to the scene of the attack, in Ghazni Province, to verify the casualties. They found pools of blood where the children had been hit and villagers deep in mourning.

"The people there are very afraid. They have no idea why the Americans bombed their village," said Ghazni Provincial Governor Jawaid Khan.

FMI: www.centcom.mil