'MISTAKE:' NATO chief vows to probe airstrike that killed 25 civilians.

Published: Friday June 22, 2007
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Friday called for an investigation into the killing of 25 civilians in a NATO air strike in Afghanistan's Helmand province, saying it was "a mistake."
And in the wake of the deaths, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he would seek consensus with opposition foes on whether Canada should continue its mission beyond 2009.
"It's always a mistake (when civilians are killed)," the NATO chief told reporters during a visit to Quebec City, where the next wave of Canadian soldiers are preparing to depart for Afghanistan.
"Each innocent civilian victim is one too many," he said. "Unfortunately it happens."
"It's important to avoid these mistakes because we must keep the support of the large majority of the Afghan population," he said, calling for "a serious investigation" of the incident by NATO and local authorities.
Earlier, a NATO air strike in southern Afghanistan killed 25 civilians, local police chief Colonel Mohammed Hassan told AFP.
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US Air Strike Kills 25 Afghan Civilians

A US air strike in southern Afghanistan has killed up to 25 civilians, a local police chief said today. The victims included women, children and a cleric, as well as 20 suspected Taliban militants, according to Mohammad Hussein Andiwal, the Helmand province police chief.