NATO investigates more Afghan civilian casualties

The NATO-led force in Afghanistan said on Thursday, February 24, it was investigating another case where its troops may have killed or wounded civilians, with an Afghan official saying the force killed five people on a hunting trip. This week, the governor of eastern Kunar province said 64 civilians were killed during four days of operations by NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan troops. Afghan President Hamid Karzai put the toll there at "more than 50". Senior ISAF officials disputed their account, saying weapons systems surveillance indicated only insurgents had been killed, but said the force was investigating. Alah Say district governor Mohammad Omari said an ISAF helicopter had fired on three men and two children on a hunting trip before dawn on Thursday. All five were killed, Omari told Reuters. "They had hunting guns but were civilians," Omari said.