October 14, 2001	Sunday	Rajab 26, 1422

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WASHINGTON, Oct 13: The Pentagon admitted on Saturday US forces inadvertently hit a residential area near Kabul airport with a 907-kilo bomb after missing a military helicopter they were targeting.

“A US Navy F/A-18 Hornet missed its intended target and inadvertently dropped a 2,000-pound GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) in a residential area near Kabul airport, Afghanistan,” the Pentagon said.

The United States fighters had targeted a military helicopter at Kabul Airport, about two kilometres from the residential area.

“We regret the loss of any civilian life,” the Pentagon said in the statement.

“US forces are intentionally striking only military and terrorist targets,” the Pentagon said. “They take great care in their targeting process to avoid civilian casualties.”

The Pentagon said that while it had no accurate way of estimating the number of casualties, “reports from the ground indicate there may have been four deaths and eight injured”.—AFP