Afghan officials said Sunday that Nato forces battling insurgents along an eastern highway accidentally killed three civilians who were caught in the crossfire. Nato said that local residents presented the bodies of three civilians killed. Spokesman Capt. Justin Brockhoff said it was unclear whose fire had killed them.
The battle broke out after international troops struck a roadside bomb in Wardak province.
The dead included a woman who was a provincial health official. Wardak government spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said Dr. Aqeela Hekmat and two of her family members were killed in their vehicle, and her husband was injured. Aqeela was the head of gynaecology and maternal health for neighbouring Ghazni province. Provincial Police Chief General Abdul Qayum Baqizai also confirmed three deaths and said it was clear that they were killed by Nato fire.
President Hamid Karzai's office said in a statement that it was investigating the allegations.