NATO Strike Kills Child In Afghanistan, Killed Nine Taliban Fighters

A NATO strike kills a child in Afghanistan, according to Afghan officials as reported by Reuters. A NATO helicopter strike Saturday killed at least one child near the capital of Ghazni province.

Other reports say that at least two children have died from the strike.

Officials said that the helicopter strike has killed at least nine Taliban fighters. The NATO-led force in Afghanistan said it was knowledgeable of the reported civilian casualties and is currently evaluating the incident.

Civilian casualties have been one of the most sensitive and contentious issues in relations between Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai and international forces.

Because of other sensitive issues, U.S. military Saturday pulled out of a strategic district of eastern Afghanistan and handed the security responsibilities over to Afghan forces. The troops’ withdrawal from the district of Nerkh in Wadrak province was part of the deal with the Afghan president following allegations that Afghan forces had committed human rights abuses under U.S. instruction.

Charges involved include the torture and murder of two militant suspects in the area – allegations U.S. officials denied.

General Joseph Dunford, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afganistan, said in a statement pertaining to the U.S. troop withdrawal from Nerkh, that the rest of Wardak province will “continue to transition over time.”

Most of the coalition forces are set to be out of the country by the end of 2014, by then Afghan forces will take over full security responsibility for the country.