U.S. Bomb Hits Afghan Village

A Navy F/A-18 Hornet dropped the 2,000-pound guided bomb early this morning, intending to hit a military helicopter at the airport. Instead, due to an error in the bomb’s satellite navigation system, the weapon traveled one mile off target landing in the village.

“We regret the loss of any civilian life. U.S. forces are intentionally striking only military and terrorist targets,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “They take great care in their targeting process to avoid civilian casualties.”

On the ground, sources said at least four civilians had been killed and eight injured.

The Taliban has said the U.S. has hit a series of civilian targets during the week of strikes. According to their officials, more than 300 have died since last Sunday. U.S. authorities dismiss this number as propaganda.

The military accident occurred as the U.S. Forces continued to pound Taliban and al-Qaida sites throughout the country. Four huge explosions shook the capital after blasts near the airport. Other attacks were reported against the Taliban militia headquarters in Kandahar, the northwestern city of Herat, and Jalalabad.

The U.S. buildup in the region got another boost as the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and two other warships moved through the Suez Canal Saturday bound for the Red Sea.

Three other carriers already are in the Persian Gulf region, where some 350 warplanes and 30,000 members of the military are based.