Afghan government condemns civilian deaths in NATO strike

Thirty-three civilians mistaken for Taliban fighters have been killed by a NATO airstrike in southern Afghanistan, according to the government in Kabul.

A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said there were women and children among the dead and wounded.

He said troops from a joint NATO-Afghan unit on the border of Uruzgan and Dai Kondi became suspicious when they saw a number of civilian vehicles approaching them.

They called for air support, and the three mini-buses were bombed.

The incident was not part of Operation Moshtarak, a big push to clear Taliban fighters from neighbouring Helmand province.

The Afghan government condemned the killings.

The issue of civilian casualties has become a major cause of friction between the government in Kabul and the foreign forces in the country.

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