A military officer who oversaw an air strike which Afghan officials say killed two children has been suspended, Nato said Wednesday, adding that a helicopter crew had also been grounded.
Monday's incident was the latest to spotlight the controversial issue of civilian casualties in international military operations in Afghanistan which has heightened tensions between President Hamid Karzai and his Western backers.
It happened in Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan, days after nine children were killed in the same area by a separate international air strike while out collecting firewood. A furious Karzai rejected an apology from General David Petraeus, the US commander of international troops in Afghanistan, over the first incident. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is investigating Monday's air strike but said that it "may have resulted in two Afghan children being mistakenly killed."
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