22 civilians have been killed in two separate southern Afghanistan offensives, officials and resident say. Asadullah Khalid, Kandahar's provincial puppet governor, said Nato airstrikes in the area had left nine civilians dead and wounded 11 others on Wednesday
Nato said an operation was believed to have caused "several" civilian casualties.
The puppet governor said the strike in Zhari district had hit three houses and that an unknown number of Taliban fighters were also killed.
Nato's so call "international security assistance force" said it regretted any civilian casualties and that it made "every effort" to minimise the risk of collateral damage during operations. But civilian casualties increase every day.
Children killed
In a separate attack on Wednesday, a rocket hit a house during a night time clash between Taliban fighters and Nato and karzai puppet forces in a southern Afghan village.
A resident said 13 villagers, including women and children, died.
Provincial puppet police chief Ghulam Nabi Malakhel said at least one Taliban fighter was killed and three karzai police wounded in Tajikai village in southern Helmand province before the rocket hit the house.
Agencies
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