Child deaths weaken public support for government

Kabul: Foreign and Afghan forces accidentally killed five children in two separate operations, further undermining President Hamid Karzai after he demanded a halt to attacks in civilian areas.

Afghan officials have accused forces from the US and other countries of killing dozens of civilians in recent weeks. The deaths have inflamed tensions across the country and weakened public support for both Karzai's government and a continued foreign troop presence in Afghanistan.

Nato said it accidentally killed three children in an artillery strike in the east on Monday after insurgents attacked its troops in the area. One artillery round slammed into a house in Gayan district of the eastern Paktika province, killing the children.

Investigation

A Nato statement said it "deeply regrets this accident, and an investigation as to the exact circumstances of this tragic event is now under way." Afghan government officials were not immediately available for comment on Monday, which was a national holiday.

In a separate incident, US troops backed by Afghan intelligence agents killed a man and his two children during a raid near the capital Kabul, said police officer Qubaidullah, who like many Afghans goes by one name. However, 1st Lt. Nathan Perry, a US coalition spokesman, said no American troops took part in the operation.

Nato said it could not confirm its troops had participated. Angry men gathered at the victims' house in the Utkheil area east of Kabul where the three bodies were displayed inside a mud-walled compound, said relative Yahya Khan.