MoD apologises after British troops kill four Afghan civilians - including women and children

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment fired missiles on a group of dwellings in the Sangin district in Helmand Province on Saturday night believing there were insurgents inside about to launch an assault.

The troops had apparently received strong intelligence that the insurgents had weapons and were about to ambush their patrol.

Royal Marines moving into Sangin in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, where the accidental killings took place

The British soldiers launched three rockets from the ground killing four civilians and injuring three others who were inside the compound.

Two Afghan children remain in a critical condition in hospital - it is not yet clear how many women and children were killed.

A joint investigation has now been launched between the MOD and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.

A MOD spokesman has apologised for the deaths. A spokesman said: 'A full investigation will be carried out, and our sympathies are with the families of the killed and injured civilians at this time.'

An accommodation building at Sangin Camp in Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan

Describing the incident, an ISAF spokesman 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. The casualties were treated at a nearby ISAF medical facility where two of them, children, remain seriously ill.

'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 would have known women and children were present.

'The enemies of Afghanistan have yet again shown a complete disregard for the lives of the innocent who they claim to fight for.'

The 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment has itself suffered heavy losses in Afghanistan. In June the regiment lost five soldiers in a single week - its worst loss of life since the Falklands war.

It is not the first time the Ministry of Defence has launched an investigation after British troops have killed Afghan civilians.

Last month British soldiers killed four civilians and injured three more after opening fire on a vehicle that failed to stop at a checkpoint near a UK military base.

Nato confirmed that it was investigating the incident, which also occurred in the Sangin district, but said that the troops had fired the shots at the vehicle fearing there were insurgents inside.

On patrol in the backstreets of Sangin

According to the MOD a total of 83 civilian deaths in Afghanistan have been investigated in the last year.

A total of 115 British troops have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001.