| United States forces in Afghanistan have been absolved of all blame following an investigation into the killing of nine Afghan children in a US airstrike last December. US spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Bryan Hilferty says the investigating officer has found the military used appropriate rules of engagement and followed what he has called the law of conflict. However, he has also admitted the military's rules of engagement have been changed since the incident in Ghazni province, but declined to give further details. An A-10 tank-buster aircraft had attacked the compound of a suspected militant, killing nine children aged between nine and 12-years, and a young man. The day before in a neighbouring province, six children and two adults were found dead under a collapsed wall after another US attack on a compound. Both attacks failed to kill their intended targets. |