Anger grows at civilian deaths by US, Afghan forces

In this Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, photo, Ibrahim Malikzada speaks during an interview to the Associated Press in Jalalabad city east of Kabul, Afghanistan. Anger is mounting over the increasing numbers of civilians dying in misdirected US aerial strikes and heavy- handed tactics of CIA-trained Afghan force. Some Afghans calling for Americans to be tried in Afghan courts. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Anger in Afghanistan is mounting over the increasing numbers of civilians dying in misdirected U.S. aerial strikes and heavy-handed tactics of a CIA-trained Afghan force.

Increasing civilian deaths in stepped-up U.S. airstrikes and operations by Afghan forces highlight the conundrum the U.S. military and its Afghan allies face, 18 years into the war: How to hunt down their Islamic State group and Taliban enemies, while keeping civilians safe and on their side.

A U.N. report says civilian deaths caused by U.S. and Afghan government forces are rising, and surpassed for the first time those caused by the Taliban and other insurgents.

It found that U.S. and Afghan forces killed 717 civilians and injured 680 in the first six months of the year, up 31% from the same period in 2018.

Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press