The U.S. military insisted Wednesday “appropriate” rules of engagement were followed in a December air strike that killed 10 people, inluding nine children, but will not disclose details of an inquiry citing top-secret intelligence.
The decision emerged the same day that an Afghan civilian died after a fierce firefight between U.S. and suspected Taliban forces. About 100 Marines and Special Forces soldiers came under fire Tuesday at their base near Nangalam, about 100 miles east of Kabul.
A military spokesman said the probe into the Dec. 6 attack, which targeted a suspected Taliban militant but killed the children and a man, concluded the rules of war were followed properly. The incident drew criticism from the Afghan government and the United Nations.
