UN urges condolence fund amid 'concern' at Afghan civilian deaths | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

UN urges condolence fund amid 'concern' at Afghan civilian deaths | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited: "The UN urged Nato to take steps to prevent further innocent deaths after the shooting of at least seven Afghan civilians by British soldiers this month.

A military investigation into the shootings, which followed a suicide attack on a British convoy in Kandahar, exonerated the royal marines involved, but a report by the UN assistance mission to Afghanistan (Unama) said the incident raised 'significant grounds for concern'. The UN report called on Britain to establish a fund to compensate the families of civilians accidentally injured or killed by soldiers.

Public anger has been running high in Kandahar since the December 3 shootings in the wake of a suicide attack on a British convoy that seriously injured three soldiers and several Afghan civilians.

Immediately after the blast, marines who feared a second attack shot two pedestrians at the bomb site who approached a wounded officer 'with purpose', investigators said. Then the 27-vehicle convoy sped through the crowded city centre, opening fire on a motorcyclist and the drivers of two cars who failed to heed warning signs." Read complete post here.