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Paras kill children in Afghan rocket attack
Ed Harris, Evening Standard18.08.08
An investigation is under way today after a group of Afghan civilianswere accidentally killed by rockets fired by British troops.
Women and four children were among those killed in the Sangin district of Helmand province on Saturday.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that troops from the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment were involved.
A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force said: "The patrol identified insurgents with weapons on the roof of a compound preparing to attack, and in order to protect themselves launched three rockets all of which hit the target.
"Unbeknown to the patrol, civilians were inside the compound at the time." The spokesman said the insurgents "would have known women and children were present", adding: "The enemies of Afghanistan have yet again shown a complete disregard for the lives of the innocent who they claim to fight for." Several people wounded in the blasts were treated at a nearby ISAF medical base where two children were described as seriously ill.
An MoD 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."
Asuicide bomber killed nine Afghan labourers and wounded 13 today outside the gates of a US base. The blast in east Afghanistan came as the top US official in the region, Major General Jeffrey J Schloesser, warned that militants would attack military, civilian and government targets during Afghanistan's independence day celebrations tomorrow.
General Schloesser said "credible intelligence" showed that militants planned an attack as all UN staff were ordered to work from home today as a security precaution.
The situation for UK troops in Afghanistan has worsened in recent months, according to experts.
The Senlis Council, a research group based in Afghanistan, claims recent killings show how the Taliban was regaining strongholds throughout the country.
Defence Secretary Des Browne acknowledged progress had come at a "high price". More than 3,300 people - mostly militants - have been killed in insurgency-related violence this year, according to an Associated Press count based on figures from Western and Afghan officials.
