Afghanistan

U.S. Admiral Apologizes for Civilian Deaths

Meets father of victim of attack that killed three women.

A U.S. attack that killed several Afghan civilians, including two pregnant women, has ignited international outrage—not least of all because there’s evidence that U.S. troops tried to cover up their deaths afterward. On Thursday, Vice Admiral William McRaven attempted to atone for the mistake by presenting the father of two men who were killed in the attack with two sheep, a traditional Afghan way of asking for forgiveness. The father, Haji Sharabuddin, accepted the apology, says ABC News, which is remarkable because he was quoted earlier as saying he wanted to become a suicide bomber. Sharabuddin apparently asked that whoever is responsible for the raid on his home be handed over to the authorities; he has also lost two daughters and a grandchild in the war.