Washington | Thursday
BUNDLES of humanitarian relief supplies dropped over Afghanistan by a US military aircraft hit a house, killing a woman and child, the US military said on Wednesday.
It was the first known mishap involving air drops of food and other supplies to refugees inside Afghanistan.
“A woman and a child were killed when a humanitarian assistance delivery of wheat, blankets and cold weather equipment landed on the dwelling,” the US Central Command said in a statement.
It said the house, which was struck on Tuesday, was located about 120 miles north of Mazar-i-Sharif near the border of Uzbekistan.
“The US deeply regrets any unnecessary loss of life,” the statement said. “Great time and care goes into the selection of sites selected for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.”
The bundles in a container that was dropped with a parachute from a high altitude by a US military aircraft, it said.
Pentagon officials said they did not know how many bundles hit the house, but each one weighs between 1,200 and 1 800 pounds depending on whether they carry cold weather equipment or wheat and blankets.
The mission included 24 cold weather bundles and 16 bundles with wheat and blankets.
A US liaison team in the vicinity reported the deaths, they said. – AFP
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