WASHINGTON, Feb 21: US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Thursday a disputed deadly raid by US special forces on two compounds in Afghanistan last month did not strike Al Qaeda or Taliban members as originally suspected.

“It appears to me these individuals were not Taliban or al Qaeda,” Rumsfeld said at a media briefing.

Up to 15 Afghans were killed in one of the compounds that was raided in Hazar Qadam, north of Kandahar, in a firefight that broke out with American soldiers, Rumsfeld said.

US forces had taken 27 Afghans from the raids into detention and then released them. The CIA has distributed at least 1,000 dollars in cash to each of the families of the Afghans killed in that attack.

“Once going in on the ground it seems to me it is no mistake at all if you’re fired on, to fire back. We expect people to defend themselves and take exactly the action that, at least at the moment, I’m aware they took,” Rumsfeld said.—Reuters