The release of a Pentagon investigation into deadly US air strikes in Afghanistan has been delayed amid an internal debate about what details of the report should be revealed, US officials said on Thursday.
For days, Defense Department officials have promised to release an unclassified summary of the probe as well as video but have repeatedly postponed the move, saying the report is still being edited by top military officers and civilian officials.
Some military officers had reservations about releasing certain details in the report, saying it could compromise security by giving away too much information about how American forces operate in Afghanistan, defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
The probe, ordered by the head of US Central Command, General David Petraeus, examined bombing raids on May 4 in the western Farah province in which the Kabul government says 140 civilians were killed.
The report has illustrated the difficulties for the US military as it tries to improve its public relations efforts in Afghanistan, where insurgent propaganda has sought to sow distrust of NATO-led forces and exploit reports of civilian casualties.
Asked last week in Brussels if he was satisfied with the public presentation of the report into the air strikes, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said: "I think we could do better."
Representatives from all the armed services and the State Department have been involved in discussions about what should be released publicly, said a spokesman for US Central Command.
The report calls for a broad review of combat rules and training for US forces to reduce the risk of civilian casualties, said a defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It recommends that rules of engagement for combat be reviewed, including refined guidance for air crews and ground troops on the use of air power, the official confirmed.
US officials have grown increasingly concerned about the effect of civilian casualties in the war, amid growing public anger in Afghanistan and tensions with the Kabul government over the issue.
The Defense Department has said previously that the report found some procedures and tactics were not followed during the operation though it was not clear if the mistakes caused civilian casualties.
"Some people on the ground were not aware of the (combat) rules," the defense official said.
The probe, carried out by Brigadier General Raymond Thomas, reviewed video from aircraft called in to the fight as well as audio recordings of conversations between ground commanders and air crews.
While Kabul officials put the civilian toll for the incident at 140, an earlier probe by the US military in Afghanistan found that 20-30 civilians were killed along with 60-65 insurgents.
Afghanistan's top rights body has said 97 civilians, most of them children, were believed to have died.
The air strikes involved F-18 fighter jets and a B-1 bomber, which at point lost contact with an intended target as it circled back to drop a 2,000-pound bomb, according to Pentagon officials.
The incident began after insurgents attacked police checkpoints and local police called for help from Afghan and international security forces. Fighting then raged for several hours as US air power was called in.
