Azizabad airstrike The Azizabad airstrike took place on Friday 22 August 2008 in the village of Azizabad which is located in Shindand district , Herat Province , Afghanistan . It is estimated that between 78 and 92 civilians , mostly children , were killed during the attack and a number of structures in the village , including homes , were damaged or destroyed , although there remains some dispute about the accuracy of these figures . A Taliban commander was the intended target of the airstrike . Summary of events . officials stated that Afghan soldiers were ambushed while in pursuit of a Taliban commander named Mullah Siddiq , and further stated that the Taliban attackers then fled to Azizabad . The airstrike killed approximately 90 people and destroyed eight homes , according to accounts from the American troops , aid workers , local villagers , and a report made by the Afghanistan government . This was later confirmed by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) which also undertook an investigation . The attack was carried out at night through by a US AC - 130 ground attack aircraft , called in by US Special Forces . Reaction . Azizabad residents . The day after the attack , Saturday 23 August 2008 , villagers organised a demonstration against Afghan troops which had been deployed to Azizabad to distribute food and other assistance . Several people were injured during a confrontation between villagers and army personnel . Government of Afghanistan . The President of Afghanistan , Hamid Karzai , described the attack as " tragic " and " irresponsible " . Karzai dismissed two senior Afghan military personnel , a general and a major , for " negligence and concealing facts " . After a cabinet meeting the government announced that it would seek to renegotiate the terms of the international presence in the country . Some analysts suggested that this announcement was a direct response to the Azizabad event . A government statement called for an end to " airstrikes on civilian targets , unilateral searches of homes and illegal detentions " by international forces . In February 2009 , a primary court in Herat sentenced Mohammad Nader to death for giving " wrong information " to coalition forces which resulted in the Azizabad airstrike . The presiding judge , Qazi Mukaram , told Nader that , " You , Mohammad Nader , are sentenced to capital punishment for spying for foreign forces and giving wrong information that caused the death of civilians . " Nader denied the charges , saying , " My information was accurate and I did it for the well - being and security of my village . " Government of United States . The Pentagon described the attack as " a legitimate strike against the Taliban " and questioned the casualty estimates given by the government of Afghanistan and reported by the media . The US military originally denied that any civilian casualties had occurred , but later acknowledged that some civilians may have been killed and announced its intention to conduct an investigation . Preliminary findings of the investigation acknowledged that five civilians had been killed . On 2 September 2008 , a further report was announced in which the US stated that up to seven civilians had been killed and reasserted that the majority of those killed were members of the Taliban . On 1 October 2008 the Department of Defense published the summary of a report by Brig . Gen . Michael Callan which accepted that 33 civilians were killed . United Nations . In a statement on the attack , the United Nations reports that " An investigation by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) has found that some 90 civilians , including 60 children , were among those killed during military operations in the strife - torn nation ’ s western Herat province last week . " The investigation found " ' convincing evidence , based on the testimony of eyewitnesses , and others , ' that some 90 civilians were killed – including 60 children , 15 women and 15 men – and another 15 villagers wounded . " Other international reaction . Russia circulated a draft United Nations Security Council statement on Tuesday 26 August which expressed serious concern about the numerous civilian casualties reportedly caused by the airstrike . It stated that member nations " strongly deplore the fact that this is not the first incident of this kind . " Video emerges that show more than 40 bodies . On 8 September 2008 , a video recorded on a mobile phone emerged , showing around 40 bodies . Following the emergence of this new evidence , the United States announced the need for an independent enquiry into the matter . An Afghan government commission stated that 90 civilians , including 60 children and 15 women , died in the bombing . General David D . McKiernan , the senior U . S . officer in Afghanistan and NATO commander , said in a statement " In light of emerging evidence pertaining to civilian casualties in the August 22 counter - insurgency operation in the Shindand District , Herat province , I feel it is prudent to request that U . S . Central Command send a general officer to review the U . S . investigation and its findings with respect to this new evidence " . Possible deaths of coalition contractors . The New York Times reported on October 7 , 2010 , that eight coalition security contractors were killed in the attack . The contractors were alleged to be headed by a ' Mr . White II ' whose men included former Taliban fighters .