Nato-led forces in Afghanistan today said they were investigating whether their troops had inadvertently killed up to seven civilians in the south, two days after a UN report noted a sharp rise in civilian deaths.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said troops in southern Helmand province, a stronghold of the Taliban, had come under heavy fire by insurgents in the Loyadera area of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital. ISAF said air support had been called in to help counter the insurgent attack.
"Later in the day, wounded and dead Afghan civilians were brought to a nearby checkpoint," ISAF said. The wounded were immediately taken to an ISAF medical facility, it said without specifying how many.
"As a result of the wounded and dead Afghan civilians, ISAF is looking into the possibility of ISAF-caused casualties," the statement said.
Earlier today, ISAF said Afghan and coalition forces had come under fire in a separate area of Helmand and that an Afghan woman had been shot by ISAF troops during the engagement. The woman later died, it said in a separate statement.
Civilian casualties have long been a major cause of friction between Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government and its Western backers, resulting in a major fall-out last year.
Twice in in the past year, Afghan commanders have tightened tactical directives for their troops, including adding extra curbs on the use of air strikes and house searches, in a bid to avoid such events.
Reuters