from the page: " Survivors of an alleged Nato rocket attack on a small town in Helmand, which the Afghan government says killed 52 civilians, spoke today of their anger at what they claim was a deliberate air strike, despite coalition denials. Many residents of the town say they believe the strike, which they say was a missile attack on a mud house where people were hiding from nearby fighting, was deliberate. "The foreign forces could see us," said Haji Abdul Ghafar, a 38-year-old farmer who had fled to Regey from a nearby village. "We were not in any hideouts. The Americans can see tiny things on the ground, but they could not see us. I think they bombed us on purpose."... Ghafar said, 17 members of his extended family were killed, including three sisters, three daughters and one son... Ghafar made clear his disdain for foreign soldiers. "When Taliban fight, they always tell us to leave the area," he said. "Even before this fighting, Taliban told us to leave the area and we left."
from the page: " The tiny Pacific kingdom of Tonga has agreed to send troops to Afghanistan, saying "it looks safer than Iraq" and that the fight against the Taliban will provide much needed jobs. A contingent of 55 Tongan soldiers is expected to begin service in Afghanistan in November, the first of 275 soldiers committed over a two-year period following a request from Britain to get involved... "This is an invitation from the British army who saw our soldiers work in Iraq and the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown wrote to our prime minister and asked for support. "This is something we think is an honour to be a part of." Tonga, which has suffered negative economic growth for the past two years, sees a continuing role in UN peacekeeping missions as a way to build up defence force numbers... a soldier would only be paid 30 pounds sterling (45.50 US dollars, 83 Tongan pa'anga) a day... "The British government will pay 2.6 million pounds to cover all the costs over the first year,"..."
