Dispute Over Afghan Casualties

Afghan officials maintain that 50 civilians were killed in a battle late last week between insurgents and Western forces. The clashes took place in Kunar province near the Pakistan border, a volatile area because of its position as a route for insurgents coming into Afghanistan from Pakistan's tribal areas. The governor of Kunar claims that of the 64 people killed on Friday, only 13 were Afghan insurgents, and the remainder were civilians, including at least 22 women, young boys, and men. Meanwhile, NATO officials said video footage from weapons systems and other information gathered indicated that at least 36 casualties were armed insurgents. Meanwhile, authorities recorded a separate death toll of 40 on Sunday, after an insurgent attack on a bank branch in the city of Jalalabad. About half of those killed were civilians; the remainder were Afghan security forces who had come to collect their pay, and were targeted by the Taliban.