Cellphone images emerge in Afghan incident

By CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Cellphone pictures taken in the aftermath of a U.S. military operation in Afghanistan are providing new evidence that a large number of civilians may have been mistakenly killed by American troops last month, two NATO military officials tell CNN.

Reports from the region, including a United Nations review, have stated for weeks that as many as 90 civilians may have died in an August 22 airstrike, a contention the Pentagon has adamantly disputed.

The cellphone pictures were recently shown to Gen. David McKiernan, the top NATO commander, who over the weekend asked for a high-level review of the previous military investigation, which concluded that the United States was only responsible for a handful of civilian deaths.

One of the officials told CNN it appears now there were a number of villagers buried in the rubble that the American troops did not see while they were searching the compounds.