NATO airstrike kills six civilians, Afghan official says

Feb 21, 2011, 10:39 GMT

Kabul - A NATO airstrike targeting a group of alleged insurgents mistakenly killed an Afghan family of six, an Afghan official said Monday.

'A rocket from a NATO airplane mistakenly hit a house, killing a couple and their four children,' Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, the provincial governor's spokesman, said. 'Three Taliban fighters were also killed in the attack.'

The airstrike took place late Sunday in Khogyani, a district in the eastern province of Nangarhar.

The attack came one day after President Hamid Karzai condemned NATO airstrikes that had allegedly killed some 50 civilians in the neighbouring province of Kunar.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed the airstrike in Khogyani, saying it was investigating the operation which resulted in Afghan civilians being accidentally killed and wounded.

'Following the engagement, coalition forces observed three vehicles travelling to a local hospital. The passengers of the vehicles later reported the roof of their compound collapsed during the engagement, resulting in the casualties' the ISAF statement said.

Patrick Hynes, director of NATO's operations centre, said they were investigating 'a deeply regrettable accident' to 'find out how it happened to try and prevent it from happening again.'

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