A rift between the US and Germany over the conduct of the war in Afghanistan widened today as both countries sought to shift blame over a botched bombing raid that led to scores of civilians being killed.
Berlin defended the raid as "militarily necessary" to protect German troops, even though it went against the express orders of the new US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, to safeguard civilians.
A human rights organisation, in the first independent assessment of the death toll, said 60-70 civilians had been killed.
The raid was carried out by the US air force but McChrystal distanced himself from it, apologising to the Afghan government and saying he had not ordered it.
The strike was called in by a senior German officer. The German government said the officer feared two hijacked oil tankers, stuck in a riverbed, were to be used for a suicide bombing of the German base at Kunduz, in the north of the country.
