By Matthew Champion.
Nato general secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen has admitted there is a 'possibility' civilians were killed in an overnight air-strike on hijacked fuel tankers.
The alliance is facing fresh questions about its Afghanistan mission after claims it bombed two hijacked tankers surrounded by civilians trying to obtain some fuel.
Local officials said up to 90 people, at least half of them civilians, were killed in a midnight air-strike upon two fuel tankers hijacked by Taliban militants in the country's north-east.
'There was an [International Security Assistance Force] air-strike against Taliban during the night,' Mr Rasmussen told a press conference this morning.
'Certainly a number of Taliban were killed, but there is also a possibility of civilian casualties as well but this is not yet clear.'
Mr Rasmussen added that an investigation team had been sent to the scene already and that the senior US commander in the region General Stanley McChrystal had expressed concern over the reports to president Hamid Karzai.
'The Afghan people should know we are deeply committed to helping them,' he continued. 'We will fully and immediately investigate this incident.'
The tankers had been delivering jet fuel to Nato forces in neighbouring Tajikistan when they were hijacked, but became stuck when Taliban militants tried to drive them across a river.
As the Taliban decided to empty the tankers, including to villagers who flocked round the vehicles, a Nato air-strike blew them up and created a massive fireball in the process.
Nato's Isaf confirmed the air-strike but said it was investigating reports of civilian fatalities.
'After observing that only insurgents were in the area, the local Isaf commander ordered air strikes which destroyed the fuel trucks and killed a large number of insurgents,' said Isaf spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Christine Sidenstricker.
'The strike was against insurgents. That's who we believe was killed. But we are absolutely investigating [reports of civilian deaths].'
Lt Col Sidenstricker said the alliance had received information suggesting the crowd gathered around the truck were insurgents and not civilians.
The incident comes months after Gen McChrystal announced a new initiative to reduce civilian casualties he said were damaging Nato progress in Afghanistan.
Nato general secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen has admitted there is a 'possibility' civilians were killed in an overnight air-strike on hijacked fuel tankers.
The alliance is facing fresh questions about its Afghanistan mission after claims it bombed two hijacked tankers surrounded by civilians trying to obtain some fuel.
Local officials said up to 90 people, at least half of them civilians, were killed in a midnight air-strike upon two fuel tankers hijacked by Taliban militants in the country's north-east.
'There was an [International Security Assistance Force] air-strike against Taliban during the night,' Mr Rasmussen told a press conference this morning.
'Certainly a number of Taliban were killed, but there is also a possibility of civilian casualties as well but this is not yet clear.'
Mr Rasmussen added that an investigation team had been sent to the scene already and that the senior US commander in the region General Stanley McChrystal had expressed concern over the reports to president Hamid Karzai.
'The Afghan people should know we are deeply committed to helping them,' he continued. 'We will fully and immediately investigate this incident.'
The tankers had been delivering jet fuel to Nato forces in neighbouring Tajikistan when they were hijacked, but became stuck when Taliban militants tried to drive them across a river.
As the Taliban decided to empty the tankers, including to villagers who flocked round the vehicles, a Nato air-strike blew them up and created a massive fireball in the process.
Nato's Isaf confirmed the air-strike but said it was investigating reports of civilian fatalities.
'After observing that only insurgents were in the area, the local Isaf commander ordered air strikes which destroyed the fuel trucks and killed a large number of insurgents,' said Isaf spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Christine Sidenstricker.
'The strike was against insurgents. That's who we believe was killed. But we are absolutely investigating [reports of civilian deaths].'
Lt Col Sidenstricker said the alliance had received information suggesting the crowd gathered around the truck were insurgents and not civilians.
The incident comes months after Gen McChrystal announced a new initiative to reduce civilian casualties he said were damaging Nato progress in Afghanistan.
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