Civilians killed in Afghan air strike

Updated 12.42 Fri Sep 05 2008

Keywords: UK, US, Afghanistan

A woman, a child and eight Taliban fighters have been killed in an air strike in western Afghanistan.

The raid in Farah province was aimed at the house of a local Taliban commander who was among those killed, Ghulam Farouq Niami, an Afghan army commander for the western zone said.

The rising toll of civilian deaths is fuelling public anger and causing a rift with foreign forces

He did not have any details on the woman and child killed in the operation and there was no immediate comment from the coalition on the air strike.

Although it did say that several militants had been killed in an operation in northern Kapisa province.

Western military officials say Taliban fighters deliberately use civilians as cover, drawing coalition firepower against non-combatants in an attempt to reap propaganda gains.

More than 500 civilians have been killed during operations by foreign and Afghan forces against the militants so far this year, the Afghan government and aid groups have said.

The rising toll of civilian deaths is fuelling public anger and causing a rift with foreign forces.

The latest attack occurred in Farah province, which adjoins Herat where the government says more than 90 civilians were killed in a coalition air strike last month.

The US military disputes the Herat casualty figure.

Anger has mounted in Afghanistan since the August 22 raid in Herat's Shindand district.

The Afghan government said most of the 90 dead there were women and children, an allegation supported by the United Nations.