BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO defense ministers will review procedures in Afghanistan on Thursday as part of efforts to halt a wave of civilian casualties threatening to undermine public support for foreign peacekeepers there.
NATO peace efforts in Afghanistan, vital to the credibility of the 49-year-old Western alliance, will be the centerpiece of talks in Brussels where U.S. defense Secretary Robert Gates will also sound out his Russian counterpart on a surprise Kremlin offer of help for a U.S. missile shield plan.
U.S. forces on Tuesday mistakenly killed seven policemen in an air strike in the east of Afghanistan and the International Committee of the Red Cross warned that Western forces must do more to prevent civilian casualties when bombing insurgents.
NATO commanders say some of the incidents are the result of poor coordination with Afghan forces and a separate, U.S.-led coalition. But they recognize procedures must be tightened, accidents investigated more quickly and humanitarian help offered to victims.
It's hard to work together when no one's paying attention.
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