Nic Robertson: U.S. apologizes

Nic Robertson

(CNN) -- Correspondent Nic Robertson reports on the early stages of the probe into the bombing of a wedding celebration in Afghanistan by coalition forces.

Here is a transcript of his conversation with CNN presenter Richard Quest.

Quest: By all accounts this is a terrible tragic accident. Are the United States saying sorry or are they are still saying that the planes were under attack?

Robertson: Well the United States government through the coalition spokesman said that the U.S. government was apologetic, was very sympathetic, and apologized to all of those who are caught up in this incident.

However, the investigation is only in the very early stages. In fact, in the last 20 minutes, we heard that the coalition forces conducting that investigation was still here at Bagram (Air Base). They plan to fly to Kabul about 30 miles away, pick up six ministerial-level Afghan officials, we are told, fly on then to Kandahar, and then drive out to the site.

So at the moment, the details are still very much open for debate. From the Afghan side, they say this was a wedding party and celebratory fire in the air. But U.S. and coalition military briefers here say that what happened was their special operations team needed to call in close air support because they came under fire. Those aircraft were then fired upon by anti-aircraft guns and those positions were then targeted.

Now the pentagon does say that it was targeting a known Taliban and al Qaeda cave complex, that they were using precision guided munitions and that one of those munitions -- a 2,000-pound bomb, was described as an errant missile and perhaps that is the one that hit the wedding.

But it is very early here and those investigators, both coalition and Afghan official investigators have not yet even departed the north of Afghanistan to travel to the south and get closer to the details.

Quest: The pictures we have seen of the injured suggests that there were obviously children involved, what more can you tell us from your position about the fatalities, the injuries, and indeed the medical supplies that are now being brought in by the coalition forces to treat them.

Robertson: Well the chief of staff of the Afghan Defense Ministry says between 20 and 30 people were killed. He said more than 60 were injured. Coalition forces here say they do not know the exact number of casualties, they do say that 4 children, between about 18 months and five years old were brought to their attention. They were taken to a U.S. facility for medical treatment and we do know of at least five people who were reportedly injured in this incident in the hospital in Kandahar.

Now the hospital in Kandahar is supported by international medical agencies, however the resources in that hospital have been, over the last few years and still are, relatively scant.

If, and it has to be said if, the casualty figures are as high as they are at this time then that hospital would have its resources relatively stretched.

However, again, it has to be stressed, we still don't have clear information on those number of casualties and exactly what is being done to help them at this time.