Taliban forces in Afghanistan may be hiding in residential areas to shield themselves from air strikes.
The news comes as the Pentagon admits that an errant 1,000lb bomb damaged an Afghan OAP centre.
A senior US military officer says he has anecdotal evidence of the Taliban using residential areas.
Rear Admiral John Stufflebeem, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attributed the tactic to the Taliban's realisation that troops in the field or at military installations were vulnerable to attacks.
The US Defence Department has admitted two instances where bombs missed their targets and hit civilian areas.
On Sunday afternoon a Navy F/A18 Hornet dropped a 1,000lb bomb in an open field near a senior citizens' home outside the western city of Herat.
The intended target was a vehicle storage building at an army barracks about 300 feet from the home. Preliminary indications are that the weapon's guidance system malfunctioned.
Pentagon spokeswoman Ms Victoria Clarke said she was not certain whether the incident corresponded to one reported by the UN which said US bombs hit a military hospital near Herat.
The Taliban had said a strike on Monday hit a Herat hospital and killed at least 100 people.
UN spokeswoman Stephanie Bunker said it was not clear whether the military hospital was in use and she had no information on casualties.
PA