Karzai anger after Nato strike kills ten civilians

Published on 15/02/2013 00:00

Afghan president Hamid Karzai has demanded an explanation from the new commander of Nato troops following an air strike that local officials say killed ten civilians, half of them children.

The death of Afghan civilians during military operations has been one of the most contentious issues of the 11-year war.

Afghan officials said two houses were bombed late on Tuesday during a joint Afghan-Nato operation in the Shigal district of the north-eastern Kunar province, which borders Pakistan. Provincial police chief Ewaz Mohammad Naziri said five boys, four women and one man were killed along with four senior Taleban leaders.

General Joseph Dunford, who took over as the commander of all allied forces in Afghanistan on Sunday, expressed “his personal condolences for any civilians who may have died”.