Still no news of the US investigation of the convoy bombing. How long will it take? Or will the issue just disappear--a more likely scenario. Already media almost entirely ignore the issue even though the basic US story seems quite unlikely to put it mildly. And it has not changed. I am sure that the villagers recently bombed both in the convoy incident and these new incidents are thankful that the US is not forcefully rooting out remaining Al Qaeda etc. because of fears of civilian deaths...If anyone sees any further reports on the convoy please let me know. I am collecting material for a potential article.
Cheers, Ken Hanly VILLAGERS KILLED But the hunt hit more snags, included the reported bombing. ``The attack took place when the people were asleep,'' said one tribal source, quoting witnesses from Naka village. The source said 40 people were killed, up to 60 wounded and 25 houses destroyed, with villagers -- who said they were supporters of the new interim government -- left confounded. ``Neither Osama nor any other foreigner is in our village,'' one resident said. The private Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) put the death toll at 25. A week ago U.S. planes hit a convoy on its way to Kabul for the swearing-in of prime minister Hamid Karzai's new government, killing up to 65 people in eastern Afghanistan. Karzai is to ask the United States to stop attacks in Paktia -- where some al Qaeda fighters may still be holding out -- after the apparent mistaken bombing, which is to be probed. Some Afghans claim their enemies deliberately misinformed the Americans to provoke the bombing. U.S. officials say the convoy opened fire first on U.S. aircraft. Afghan leaders, who swept to power after U.S. bombing weakened the Taliban, stressed they were still firmly behind the search for bin Laden and his fighters, but the defense ministry said they had all now fled over the border. Some 500 U.S. marines are on standby to go and search the eastern Tora Bora caves, where al Qaeda's last stand has petered out, but no order has yet been given. One U.S. official said pockets of al Qaeda resistance -- six at the most -- remained, but he said the U.S. ability to root them out was constrained by fears of hurting civilians
