BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates expressed "personal regrets" Wednesday for the deaths of Afghan civilians in airstrikes and ordered U.S. forces from now on to immediately pay families of people mistakenly killed in any attack.
In a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, the capital, Gates vowed that the U.S. would take steps to avoid such mistakes.
"While no military has ever done more to prevent civilian casualties, it is clear we have to work even harder," Gates said at a news conference after the meeting. "You have my word that we will do everything in our power to find new ways and better ways of targeting our common enemies while protecting the good people of Afghanistan."
Pentagon officials said delays in apologizing for errant bombings and providing compensation were hurting the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan. The Taliban and other militants have tapped anger over civilian deaths and sought to portray the U.S. military as cavalier and careless.
"Too often in our pursuit of the truth, we lose valuable time and end up on the losing end of our battle with insurgents for the hearts and minds of the Afghan people," Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said.
Gates accepted a proposal by Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak to create a permanent Afghan-American investigation board that would look into serious allegations of errant attacks.
The U.S. has paid compensation to families of people mistakenly killed in attacks before. But Gates ordered Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser, commander of U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan, to make sure those payments are made far more quickly. Speaking at Bagram air base outside Kabul, Gates said the U.S. would pay compensation and make amends for errant strikes before a full investigation.
It remained unclear how generous the United States would be in practice. In the most controversial recent airstrike, in the village of Azizabad, U.S. officials initially said about seven civilians were killed; Afghan and United Nations investigators maintain that about 90 civilians died.
Had the new policy been in effect when that airstrike occurred, U.S. officials suggested, they would have initially provided compensation only for the families of the seven they believed were mistakenly killed. If the Pentagon sticks to that more conservative approach, the move to speed compensation payments may do little to offset public anger.
