An Army colonel in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday apologized and made condolence payments to families of civilians allegedly killed by special operations Marines after a suicide bomber struck the Marines’ vehicle convoy.
He said the killing and wounding of “innocent Afghans at the hands of Americans is a stain on our honor,” despite the fact that the criminal investigation into the incident has not been completed.
The March 4 incident in Nangarhar province left 19 civilians dead and 53 wounded, said Army Col. John Nicholson, commander of the 10th Mountain Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, which is winding down its deployment following 16 months away from home. The number of dead is well beyond previous reports, which ranged from 10 to 12.
“We came here to help the Afghan people and the Afghan government, not to hurt you,” Nicholson said, re-reading for Pentagon reporters via satellite the statement he gave to the families of the victims. “So I stand before you today deeply, deeply ashamed, and terribly sorry, that Americans have killed and wounded innocent Afghan people.
“We are filled with grief and sadness at the death of any Afghan,” Nicholson continued. “But the death and wounding of innocent Afghans at the hand of Americans is a stain on our honor, and on the deaths of the many Americans who have died defending Afghanistan and the Afghan people.
“This was a terrible, terrible mistake,” Nicholson said. “And my nation grieves with you for your loss and suffering. We humbly and respectfully ask for your forgiveness.”
Nicholson said such events “do set us back with the population, and they have to be addressed very directly and forthrightly with the Afghan people.” The families’ response, he said, was “very positive. Showing them the appropriate respect is culturally significant. And seeing the genuine remorse we have for incidents such as this is important in terms of keeping them with us.”
Marine Maj. Cliff Gilmore, spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune, N.C., said his command is not characterizing the incident until the investigation has been completed.
“We regret the March 4 ambush of the Marine Special Operations Company in Afghanistan and offer our deepest sympathy to all of those involved,” Gilmore said. ”The events related to that ambush are currently under investigation. In the interest of preserving the presumption of innocence that all U.S. service members deserve when facing allegations of misconduct, we will not characterize the incident until we have all the facts.”
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