Kandahar, Afghanista ? President Hamid Karzai dismissed allegations Friday that the United States tried to cover up a deadly airstrike and said a continued American presence was crucial to Afghanistan’s future.

Flanked by U.S. special forces bodyguards, Karzai said he had visited one of the villages attacked in the July 1 air raid, and when asked if he believed there had been a cover-up said, “I don’t think so. People would have told me.”

Karzai said the air attack in Uruzgan province killed 46 civilians and wounded 117, many of them celebrating at a wedding party. The attack was investigated by the United States and by a separate United Nations fact-finding group. Previously, Afghan officials put the death toll at 48.

A U.N. report has not been publicly released, but the Times of London reported Monday that the initial draft concluded American forces may have removed evidence after the attack and violated human rights. U.S. officials denied the allegations.

“The U.N. report was not correct,” Karzai said as he arrived for a meeting with Kandahar Gov. Gul Agha Sherzai. “Lots of people had much misinformation. The second report, the official report, will be much more accurate.”

Karzai, who visited the area Thursday, described the U.S. raid as “unfortunate” but said villagers were still tolerant of U.S. military presence. He said the United States had offered $2 million for reconstruction.

“We should concentrate on leaving the sad days behind us,” he said, adding, “The U.S. military presence is needed for Afghanistan’s security.”

The airstrike fed a wave of resentment among Afghans over the U.S. military presence and sparked the first protests in Kabul since the fall of the Taliban.