Seven civilians were killed when a NATO helicopter fired on two vehicles believed to be carrying Taliban fighters, say Afghan officials. The international alliance said it was investigating the strike, which occurred yesterday in Helmand province. Two women and three children were among the victims, who were traveling in a vehicle near the targeted ones. Five other civilians were wounded.
The deaths came only two days after the NATO troops accidentally killed two civilians in the eastern province of Khost. Earlier this month, an errant strike killed nine Afghan boys. Civilian casualties have long been a source of friction between the US-led international force and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has bluntly told the coalition that they must end. (More Afghanistan war stories.)