U.S. pilots' role adapts to changing Afghan mission

By Frederik Richter

ABOARD USS NIMITZ, Gulf of Oman (Reuters) - "A jet has dropped," a commander tells an officer in a quick exchange, both pressed against the wall as sailors hurried by in a corridor below the deck of the aircraft carrier Nimitz.

Word of the air strike travelled fast on the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. It was the first bombing raid by an aircraft off the Nimitz since it launched its first flight sortie on Sept. 18 in support of foreign forces in Afghanistan.

Its pilots will be in the spotlight after General Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, in July issued new guidelines supposed to limit civilian casualties by requiring troops to take extra steps before opening fire.

McChrystal says he wants to change the focus of his 100,000-strong force, from hunting insurgents to protecting Afghan civilians. Within weeks of taking command, he issued new combat orders, tightening the rules for ordering air strikes.

But while the Nimitz was transiting to its area of operations, an air strike called in on Sept. 4 by a German commander on two fuel trucks hijacked by Taliban fighters killed 30 civilians, according to the Afghan government.

NATO is investigating whether the attack violated McChrystal's rules. NATO troops say they have killed far fewer civilians in air strikes this summer than last summer, despite taking more casualties of their own.

McChrystal says that extra short term risk is necessary to reduce the risk over the long term by escalating casualties.

As the situation on the ground in Afghanistan has become more complex, the pilots' role has changed.