Family members of Sept. 11 victims traveled to Afghanistan last January to meet their counterparts—families who were the victims of U.S. bombings. The delegation was organized by the San Francisco-based nonprofit group Global Exchange to investigate the impact of U.S. bombing on civilians and to help families in their healing. Delegation members said that more Afghan civilians were killed by U.S. bombing raids than Americans died on Sept. 11.
The Americans have established Peaceful Tomorrow, an organization of relatives of 9-11 victims who are working to aid Afghan civilian victims of the war. Delegation participant Kelly Campbell said Peaceful Tomorrow wants the U.S. government to conduct a study of civilian casualties in Afghanistan and then provide compensation for affected families. "We want to extend the spirit of compassion and understanding to those families of Afghanistan," the organization wrote to President Bush.
"We believe this is an important way we can illustrate to the people of Afghanistan and the world that Americans are a caring and generous people." More than 3,700 Afghan civilians died from U.S. attacks through Dec. 3, 2001, according to a study by Mark Herold of the University of New Hampshire.
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