By Jim Mannion, AFP
Saying he was "deeply, deeply ashamed," a US commander apologized and made 2,000 dollar payments Tuesday to family members of 19 Afghans killed and 50 injured by US Marines in an incident more than two months ago.

Colonel John Nicholson, a US brigade commander, told reporters that the March 4 incident in Nangarhar province is still under investigation but the military decided to make the payments as a gesture of condolence.

"I stand before you today deeply, deeply ashamed and terribly sorry that Americans have killed and wounded innocent Afghan people," Nicholson said he told the family members.

"We are filled with grief and sadness at the death of any Afghan. But the death and wounding of innocent Afghans at the hand of Americans is a stain on our honor and on the memory of the many Americans who have died defending Afghanistan and the Afghan people," he said.

"This was a terrible, terrible mistake, and my nation grieves with you for your loss and suffering. We humbly ask for your respect and forgiveness," he said.

Nicholson read the statement to reporters here via video link from Afghanistan.

The apology comes amid growing anger in Afghanistan over civilian deaths in coalition military operations.

The US military is conducting a separate inquiry into allegations that some 50 civilians were killed April 28 and 30 in western Afghanistan in fighting between US and Afghan forces and what they said were Taliban fighters.

Air strikes and strafing runs were called in on Taliban positions during the fighting in the Shindand district of Herat province.

The US military has yet to acknowledge that civilians were killed in the fighting there even though Afghan and UN officials have said women and children were among the dead.

In the Nangarhar incident, Nicholson said 19 Afghans were killed. The US military has previously said 12 people were killed. But the colonel said that after discussions with Afghan officials and tribal leaders, "We defaulted to the higher number."

The marines opened fire along a road crowded with shops after a suicide bomber attacked their five vehicle convoy on March 4.

A criminal probe was later opened after witnesses said the marines fired indiscriminately on civilians after the ambush. The marines insisted they only opened fire after coming under attack from automatic weapons fire.

The marine special operations unit involved was taken out of Afghanistan two weeks after the attack that public anger was so high they could not function effectively.

"The people are our center of gravity here, so first and foremost in all that we do we seek to do no harm to the people," Nicholson said.

"So events such as that do set us back with the population, and they have to be addressed very directly and forthrightly with the Afghan people," he said.