A Saturday evening NATO air strike against a village in Paktia Province, Afghanistan, has killed a family of eight, including six children. The strike is the latest in a growing series of attacks against civilians.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered an investigation into the attack, and provincial officials confirmed that the only adults killed, a man and his wife, had no connection to any terrorist factions.
NATO initially rejected the claim of an attack, saying there was “no evidence” of any civilians actually being among the slain. NATO later retracted the statement, however, and instead said that it was responding to an attack and was “aware” of the civilian deaths.
Karzai has repeatedly demanded that NATO stop launching air strikes against populated areas, but NATO officials have rejected this, saying that the UN rules of engagement don’t allow Karzai to restrict the types of attacks it launches.
