26/08/2008 (Agence Europe) - “The French Presidency of the Council of the European Union has learned with dismay of the deaths of large numbers of civilians, mainly women and children, during a bombing under Operation Enduring Freedom on 22 August in western Afghanistan”. In a press release on 25 August, the Presidency sends its sincere condolences to the victims' families and loved ones. Investigations have been opened by the Afghan authorities and by those responsible for the operation. An Afghan presidential commission of inquiry reports that over 90 civilians were killed during the strike by coalition forces in the district of Shindand, in Herat province to the west of the country. According to the Pentagon, the bombing was a “legitimate strike against the Taliban”. (A.B./transl.jl)