| American airstrikes killed dozens of civilians during a firefight in western Afghanistan this week, U.S. military investigators have concluded. The death toll — about 50 people, including at least 20 militants — makes the battle in Farah Province one of the bloodiest in recent years. But it’s far lower than initial reports, by the Red Cross and Afghan officials, of up to 120 civilians killed. “The investigators have also found evidence that Taliban fighters prevented some families from evacuating their houses during the nearly 12-hour firefight, effectively assuring civilian casualties,” the Wall Street Journal’s Yochi Dreazen reports. |