国际英语新闻：Britain's Chief of Defense Staff calls latest civilian deaths in Afghanistan "very serious

LONDON, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The military chief of Britain's armed forces on Monday said the latest civilian deaths in Afghanistan were "a very serious setback, but not one that cannot be overcome."

A combined force of 15,000 Afghan, American, British and other NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops launched Operation Moshtarak last week.

During the first part of the ongoing operation, over the weekend, 12 civilians were killed by two stray NATO missiles.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the Chief of the Defense Staff, told the BBC in a radio interview: "In any conflict there are accidents. It is a very serious setback, but not one that can' t be overcome."

On Monday afternoon, Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth told the media that the first part of Operation Moshtarak, the clearance phase, was over and the hard part, providing opportunities for the local population and keeping the Taliban out, was now beginning.

Ainsworth explained why the provision of opportunities for local people is so essential to the operation's success. He said: "The most important phase of the operations begins now; winning over the hearts and minds of the people of Nad 'Ali and Marjah so that they don't tolerate the Taliban in their midst, so that they are not intimidated by them and so the insurgency cannot re- establish itself in the area."