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U.S. investigates whether raid killed friendly Afghans

Franks ordered the investigation into last week's incident north of Kandahar.

(CNN) -- The U.S. military has opened a high-level investigation into whether American commandos killed friendly Afghans during a raid of a suspected terrorist compound north of Kandahar, a senior military official told CNN.

Fifteen Afghans were killed and another 27 captured by U.S. forces during the raid last week.

"Feedback from the special forces conducting the raid," the concerns of local Afghans after the operation and "other intelligence" led Gen. Tommy Franks, the head of U.S. Central Command, to launch a formal investigation, the official said.

Locals have contended that false information spread by other Afghan factions may have led the United States to the site. At first, the United States said the raid was based entirely on U.S. intelligence, but military forces said that assessment is now being re-examined.

Meanwhile, a tense calm Friday settled over the eastern Afghan city of Gardez, where two rival Pashtun groups had exchanged gunfire the previous two days.

The shura -- a council representing all the clans and tribes of Paktia province -- still controls the city despite actions by forces led by Bacha Kahn, who was appointed acting governor of the province by Afghanistan's interim government.

And in the United States, a federal judge Friday sentenced two Virginia men -- one to four and the other to 27 months -- for helping two of the September 11 hijackers obtain fraudulent identification cards.

CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

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