KABUL (Reuters) - Aircraft from the U.S.-led military force killed nine children in an attack in the south of Afghanistan (news - web sites) on a "known terrorist" responsible for the deaths of two road contractors, the military said on Sunday.
The children were the latest civilians killed accidentally by U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, who are pursuing remnants of the Taliban regime overthrown in late 2001 and allied Islamic militants .
Colonel Bryan Hilferty said in a statement at the U.S. military's Afghan headquarters the incident happened on Saturday morning south of the town of Ghazni and the intended target was killed in the attack.
He said the U.S.-led force regretted the loss of innocent life and the incident was under investigation.
Ground troops of the U.S.-led force found the children's bodies near that of the intended target after the attack by planes with gunfire, he said.
"Coalition forces are remaining in the area and over the next several days will make every effort to assist the families of these innocent casualties and determine the cause of the civilian deaths," he said in the statement.
It said a commission was being formed to investigate what it called a tragic incident and would make an immediate on-site assessment.
"Coalition forces regret the loss of any innocent life," he said. "Coalition forces follow stringent rules of engagement to specifically avoid this type of incident, while continuing to target terrorists who threaten the future of Afghanistan."
In November, six Afghan civilians were killed in an aerial bombardment by U.S.-led forces hunting Islamic militants in the eastern province of Paktika, the provincial governor there said.
And nearly three weeks before that in the province of Nuristan, eight members of the same family were killed in an aerial bombardment, according to witnesses.