UK attack injures Afghan children

25 July 2011 Last updated at 07:30 ET

Officials are now investigating the incident

Five Afghan children were injured in a strike carried out by a British Apache attack helicopter, the Ministry of Defence has said.

They were working in a field in the Nahr-e-Saraj area of Helmand Province on Saturday when they were caught up in an assault on an insurgent.

They were taken to Camp Bastion, the main British base in Helmand, for treatment.

Their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

The Nato-led military coalition in Afghanistan, known as the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), has prioritised the reduction of civilian casualties.

An MoD spokeswoman said: “Any incident involving civilian casualties is a matter of deep regret and we take every possible measure to avoid such incidents.

“A shooting incident review is now under way and UK officials in Afghanistan are keeping the provincial governor abreast of the results of the investigation.”

Isaf said in a statement: “Isaf is currently assessing this event, and more details will be released as they become available. Coalition forces take every allegation of civilian casualties seriously.”

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