Afghan Family of 8 Killed by Coalition Airstrike

A family of eight was killed in a coalition airstrike in eastern Afghanistan late last night, in the latest strain on US-Afghanistan relations, reports al-Jazeera. Local government officials said the man, his wife, and their six children were not affiliated with any anti-government group. "This man had no connection to the Taliban or any other terrorist group," said an official. A coalition spokesman said they were looking into the incident.

Last year was the deadliest yet for Afghanistan civilians, notes the AP, with 3,021 killed, 77% by Taliban and insurgents, and 14% by Afghan and international forces. NATO also reported four coalition troops were killed yesterday. And six insurgents were killed yesterday in joint operations in four eastern provinces. (More Afghanistan stories.)