Afghan official rebukes NATO for civilian deaths

An Afghan provincial governor says NATO needs to exert greater caution in its operations following the death of five civilians during a battle with insurgents.

The office of the governor of Helmand province said in a statement Wednesday that the five civilians killed during the clash a day earlier included three women and two children. NATO says it is investigating the deaths, which Afghan officials say occurred during a Taliban raid on an Afghan national police checkpoint.

Afghan officials have repeatedly spoken out about civilian deaths, arguing that the international forces are not being careful enough to avoid such casualties as the war nears its tenth year. Insurgents also try to use the civilian death toll as a way of rallying support for their cause.