Civilian risks cut down on airstrikes in Afghanistan

Tribesmen sift through the rubble of a residential structure after an air strike by U.S. forces in the Sheikh Baba area of Mohamand region at the Pakistan-Afghan border in June. (Mohammad Shahkar/Reuters) Civilian risks cut down on airstrikes in Afghanistan Dawn was breaking over Afghanistan one day this month as U.S. Air Force surveillance planes locked in on a top-ranking insurgent commander as he traveled in secret around Kandahar, the spiritual home of the Taliban. But as attack aircraft were summoned overhead to strike, according to a recounting of the mission by air force commanders, the Taliban leader entered a building. Intelligence specialists scrambled to determine whether civilians were inside. Weapons experts calculated what bomb could destroy the structure with the least damage. It had taken the U.S. military... [read full story]