NATO Airstrikes Kill 11 Afghan Civilians

Fresh US-led bombings across war-torn Afghanistan have claimed the lives of at least 11 civilians, leaving many more injured, Press TV reported.

Earlier, in Afghanistan’s northwestern province of Badghis, at least five people were killed and 15 others injured.

Also, in the country’s southern Helmand Province, another six civilians lost their lives in US-led air raids. A mother and her five children were killed in the incident.

NATO has not yet made any comments on the attacks.

According to AFP news agency, Afghan President Hamid Karzai summoned the NATO commander and the US ambassador on Monday to express concern about civilian deaths in recent operations, his office said in a statement.

Karzai warned that if Afghan lives were not protected the Strategic Partnership Agreement he signed with US President Barack Obama last week would lose its meaning, the statement said.

The president said civilian casualties always hurt Afghan-American relations, adding that Afghanistan had signed the strategic pact with the US to prevent such incidents and safeguard the lives of Afghans.

On Saturday, at least four civilians were killed in another US airstrike in Afghanistan’s northeastern Kapisa Province.

Civilian casualties have always been a sensitive issue in the US-led war in Afghanistan and have often been the cause of tense relations between Kabul and Washington.

The United States launches airstrikes on Afghan residential locations, claiming to be targeting militants. However, the main victims of the US-led offensives are civilians.

The number of civilians killed has risen steadily each year for the past five years, reaching a record of 3,021 in 2011, the great majority caused by militants, according to UN statistics.