BERLIN (AP) A court in Germany has dismissed a civil case brought by relatives of some of the 91 Afghans killed in a NATO airstrike four years ago.
The Bonn regional court ruled Wednesday there was no evidence that a German officer who ordered U.S. jets to bomb two hijacked fuel tankers had broken official regulations.
Brig. Gen Georg Klein, who was a colonel at the time, ordered the Sept. 4, 2009, airstrike near Kunduz because he feared that insurgents would use the tankers to attack his troops.
Germany paid $5,000 each to the families of civilians who were killed as they tried to syphon fuel from the tankers. The relatives had sought additional compensation from the German government.
Court spokesman Philipp Prietze says the ruling can be appealed.
