Germany seeks Afghan raid answers

German Chancellor Angela MerkelGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for an urgent investigation into an airstrike in northern Afghanistan, amid tension about who was to blame.

In an announcement with UK PM Gordon BrownGordon Brown, she also said a major summit on Afghanistan should be held this year.

Reports have suggested that civilians were among the dozens of victims of Friday's German-ordered raid.

Ms Merkel said if any civilians died in the Kunduz province strike, she would "naturally deeply regret that".

The British and German leaders said the meeting should focus on helping Afghanistan take on more responsibility.

Mr Brown said it should "deal with the issues of security, governance and development".

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Berlin says although they did not spell it out, what the politicians are concerned about is the urgent need for an Afghan exit strategy.

That is what most of the German public wants to see as Nato's mission in Afghanistan is unpopular with them, our correspondent adds.

Britain has about 9,000 troops in Afghanistan and Germany has some 4,200.

Exit strategy?

Friday's airstrike was called in by a German commander after Taliban rebels hijacked two fuel tankers.

The raid has caused uproar in Germany, which will hold parliamentary elections on 27 September.

Speaking in Berlin on Sunday, Mrs Merkel said a quick investigation was essential.

"The German government and I personally want to see a Nato investigative team swiftly put together that will carry out a thorough and quick explanation of what took place and whether there were civilians killed," she said.

Her comments came as the Washington Post reported that the German commander who ordered the raid may have done so in breach of Nato rules.

The German commander ordered the airstrike after seeing live footage of the tankers, with people around them, beamed from US aircraft in the skies above Kunduz.

The footage would have been grainy, US spokesman Rear Admiral Gregory SmithGregory Smith told the Associated Press news agency.

The Germans, who also spoke to an informant at the scene, decided the people were militants.

German Defence Minister Franz Josef JungFranz Josef Jung said "it was clear that our soldiers were in danger".

"I stand clearly behind our commander's decision," he told German broadcasters, AP reported.

The Washington Post reported that using a single human source for intelligence appeared to breach guidelines aimed at reducing civilian deaths. Coalition officials in Afghanistan denied that any conclusion had yet been reached.

Nato has said the investigation is still ongoing, and the US commander in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal, on Saturday promised a full investigation into the air raid.

Latest poll results

The Berlin news conference came hours after the latest partial results from Afghanistan's presidential election were released.

They showed incumbent Hamid KarzaiHamid Karzai within touching distance of the 50% threshold needed to avoid a run-off ballot.

With three-quarters of votes counted, he had 48.6%, followed by Abdullah Abdullah with 31.7%.

The 20 August poll has been marred by allegations of widespread fraud.

Meanwhile, a Swedish charity has alleged foreign troops entered its hospital south of the Afghan capital Kabul, smashed doors and tied up staff and patients' relatives.

The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan said the soldiers came into the clinic in Shaniz in Wardak province late on Wednesday "without giving any reason or justification".

The charity said it breached agreements between non-governmental organisations and the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), which along with the US has more than 100,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan.

An Isaf spokesman said an investigation had been launched.