Civilians reported killed by Nato in Afghanistan

Airstrikes by Nato helicopters hunting Taliban fighters ripped through three dried mud homes in southern Afghanistan as villagers slept, killing at least nine civilians, including women and children, said residents and the provincial governor.

Shell-shocked, angry villagers in Ashogho condemned the attack, which set back Nato’s hopes of winning local support for their tough counter-insurgency campaign. The airstrikes came at about the same time as a rocket struck a house in a village to the west, reportedly killing 13 people.