According to US Central Command, children who survived the coalition air strike on an al-Qaeda compound in Paktika Province in Afghanistan, the enemy operatives forced the children to remain out of sight inside the compound for an entire day during which coalition forces had it under observation. Witnesses said the children were beaten if they tried to leave. The strike killed seven children and several militants. In a statement, CENTCOM spokesman Army Maj. Chris Belcher said: “We are truly sorry for the innocent lives lost in this attack. We had surveillance on the compound all day and saw no indications there were children inside the building.”
Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach said the service must improve its readiness in his first public remarks as Air Force Chief of Staff, made during a ceremony marking his ascension to the service’s top job Nov. 18.
