New tactic for U.S., NATO in Afghanistan: say sorry

By Peter Graff

KABUL (Reuters) - After years of alienating Afghans by being slow to acknowledge killing civilians, U.S. troops are trying a new tactic: say sorry fast.

Commanders acknowledge that soaring civilian death tolls from U.S. and NATO strikes over the past year have cost them the vital support of ordinary Afghans -- and a perception that they were reluctant to take responsibility made the situation worse.

In an effort to blunt the damage, they have put in place new drills in recent months -- responding more quickly, coordinating their investigations with Afghan authorities, apologizing publicly and offering compensation.

But with civilian casualties still mounting as fighting increases, it remains to be seen whether the new approach will blunt the fury of an Afghan public wary of foreign troops.

"We have worked very hard at this to ensure that we can get to get to the truth of what has taken place as quickly as possible and maintain the support of the population," Colonel Gregory Julian, spokesman for the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan General David McKiernan, said.

"The population are the center of gravity."

He confirmed that the procedure for dealing with reports of civilian casualties has been overhauled since late last year.

Instead of waiting for commanders back in Kabul to dispatch an investigative team, units in the field are now expected to liaise immediately with Afghan officials to conduct a joint investigation. Commanders then reach out to local leaders to help negotiate compensation for the victims.