50 Afghan civilians killed in rocket strike

A rocket attack on an Afghan village killed at least 45 civilians, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said on Monday, as leaked documents laid bare the civilian toll of the US-led war.


Women and children were among the dead. An investigation is underway to determine who was responsible for the reported attack in Sangin district of southern province Helmand on Friday.
"Our understanding is yes, there was a rocket launched. Yes, it hit a civilian house where many people sought refuge and yes there were around 45 to 50 people killed," Waheed Omar said. Asked if the attack was carried out by Nato forces, he said: "We will need to wait until we have a final report before we have the source as to what happened and who did it."
According to witness accounts, men, women and children fled to Regey village and were fired on from helicopter gunships as they took cover.