KHOST – An Afghan child was shot and killed by international forces targeting insurgents in the restive east of the country on Wednesday, police said, triggering a NATO investigation. Coalition forces opened fire from the air on a car carrying a group of militants in eastern Khost province but accidentally struck another vehicle, killing the child, provincial police chief Abdul Hakim Esahaqaai told AFP. He said two other civilians were injured in the incident in Khost, one of the biggest flashpoints in the 10-year Taliban insurgency that erupted after the 2001 US-led invasion brought down their regime. “Coalition forces killed two opponents and injured two others.
But as they were shooting, a civilian car coming in the opposite direction was also hit. One child was killed and two other people were injured,” he said. Mubarez Zadran, a spokesman for the provincial government, confirmed the incident but refused to give further details. NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said it was investigating the claims. “We did conduct an operation in which we were targeting an insurgent leader in Khost province. We are aware of the civilian casualties allegations and we are looking into it,” the force said in a statement.
