Investigation into incident in Kandahar province Published Nov. 5, 2008 By U.S. Forces Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan -- U.S. Forces Afghanistan and the Afghan Ministry of Interior have initiated an investigation into an incident in the Shah Wali Kott district, Kandahar province, Nov. 3. "The coalition and Afghan authorities are investigating reports of non-combatant casualties in the village of Wech Baghtu," said Cmdr. Jeff Bender, Deputy Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Forces Afghanistan. "Though facts are unclear at this point, we take very seriously our responsibility to protect the people of Afghanistan and to avoid circumstances where noncombatant civilians are placed at risk." "If innocent people were killed in this operation, we apologize and express our condolences to the families and the people of Afghanistan," Bender said. "We have dispatched coalition personnel to the site to quickly assess the situation and take actions as appropriate."