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Kabul: Twenty-five civilians have been killed as suspected Taliban militants attacked police posts in southern Afghanistan, sparking clashes and Nato airstrikes, a senior police officer said Friday.
The militants attacked police and used civilian houses for cover in the Gereshk district of Helmand province late on Thursday, said Mohammad Hussein Andiwal, provincial police chief.
Nato responded by calling in airstrikes, which killed the civilians, including nine women, three babies and the mullah of a local mosque, as well as 20 suspected militants.
A Nato statement said, "A compound was assessed to have been occupied by up to 30 insurgent fighters, most of whom were killed in the engagement.''
Lieutenant Colonel Mike Smith, a spokesman for Nato’s International Security Assistance Force, said, “We are concerned about reports that some civilians may have lost their lives during this attack.''
On Monday, Afghan officials had said that over 100 people, including militants, civilians and police, died in three days of fierce clashes between Nato forces and Taliban fighters, also in southern Afghanistan.
A senior Afghan Defence Ministry official has said that civilian deaths are the main concern of Afghans, and President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly called for foreign troops to do more to prevent civilian casualties.
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