Civilian casualties

EU foreign ministers meeting in Stockholm are set to discuss their joint strategy on Afghanistan a day after a massive NATO airstrike killed around 90 people, according to Afghan officials.

The European governments are concerned that the incident could undermine their mission in Afghanistan – where they have been trying to garner public support - and they have urged a speedy inquiry.

"It's vital that NATO and the Afghanistan people come together. We need a very strong NATO commitment but we need a very strong Afghan commitment also," Britian's Foreign Minister David Miliband told reporters in Stockholm.

"And obviously incidents like this undermine that," he added. "That's why it's important that we are open and clear about what happened and make sure it does not happen again."

On Friday, two fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban were bombed in northern Kunduz, killing insurgents and dozens of civilians. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds the EU presidency, called the loss of human life "regrettable".

"We don't know the details yet. What we do know is that there are too many casualties, be that Taliban or civilian casualties or be that something else," he said.

Afghan people are said to be growing impatient with the country's fragile security situation and mounting civilian deaths, despite the military presence there. EU governments, however, show no signs of abandoning the mission, instead expressing their continued support.

"What is very important is for the international community to continue to be united...We will stay (as long as) necessary," said Italian Foreing Minister Franco Frattini.

Meanwhile, three weeks after Afghanistan's disputed presidential elections, the UN says it is planning a summit there for next year to discuss the country's political and economic future.

According to UN spokesman Ari Gaitanis, "The summit has been proposed as a means of bringing the next Afghan government and its international partners together around a common agenda for Afghanistan over the next few years."

vj/dpa/AFP/AP/reuters

Editor: Nick Amies