KABUL (Thomson Financial) - NATO-led soldiers operating in southern Afghanistan 'accidentally' killed four civilians and wounded three others in a rocket attack intended for insurgents, the alliance force said Sunday.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force said the casualties from the incident on Saturday in the volatile province of Helmand included women and children but it did not give a breakdown.
'An ISAF unit on a mission to deny an insurgent safe haven has accidentally killed four civilians and wounded three others who were located inside a compound,' it said in a statement.
A patrol had picked up a radio message from the compound calling for insurgents to converge on the area to attack the patrol, it said.
'The patrol identified insurgents with weapons on the roof of the compound preparing to attack and in order to protect themselves launched three rockets, all of which hit the target.
'Unbeknown to the patrol, the civilians were inside the compound at the time.'
Two of the wounded, both children, were in a serious condition and being treated at an ISAF medical facility, the statement said.
'ISAF deeply regrets the tragedy of this incident when women and children were killed and injured as a result of an imminent insurgent attack from a position where they (militants) would have known women and children were present,' it said.
The incident was under investigation.
Most of the ISAF soldiers in Helmand, a stronghold of Taliban rebels, are from Britain, which is in charge of NATO forces in the province. tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomson.com afp/hjp COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2008. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Thomson Financial News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Financial News.