4 September 2009 – The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is sending a team to the north of the country where an overnight air strike by NATO forces against stolen trucks has reportedly led to dozens of civilian deaths.

Peter Galbraith, the Deputy UN Special Representative in Afghanistan, said in a statement that he was very concerned by the reports of the civilian casualties in the air strike, which took place in the Aliabad district of Kunduz province.

“As an immediate priority, everything possible must be done to ensure that people wounded by this attack are properly cared for, and that families of the deceased are getting all the help they need,” Mr. Galbraith said.

“Steps must also be taken to examine what happened and why an air strike was employed in circumstances where it was hard to determine with certainty that civilians were not present,” he said, adding that UNAMA was dispatching a team to look into the situation.