<

Warplane Video Shows Ground Fire, Defense Secretary Says
Tuesday, July 23, 2002
(4:27:00 AM PT)
By Matt Kelley
Associated Press Writer

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld gestures during a Pentagon news conference Monday, July 22, 2002. Rumsfeld's arm is in a cast after a recent surgery for arthritis.
Image Credit: Rick Bowmer -- AP.

Although Afghans often fire weapons at wedding celebrations, survivors insisted there had been no shooting for several hours before the attack.

WASHINGTON -- AP
Video from the U.S. warplane that attacked villages in central Afghanistan earlier this month shows gunfire from the ground, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said. But Rumsfeld said it is difficult to tell from the nighttime video whether anti-aircraft guns were being fired at the Air Force AC-130 gunship.

Afghan officials say the July 1 air strike killed more than 40 civilians at a wedding party. The incident has strained relations between the U.S. military and Afghan leaders.

Rumsfeld said he had reviewed 15 to 20 minutes of a four-hour videotape from the AC-130.

"Clearly there was ground fire," he said, adding that the formal U.S.-Afghan investigation now under way would provide answers to whether the firing was aimed at the U.S. aircraft.
(More: modbee.com News Source)
2002 © The Associated Press.

Dan