At least 28 civilians were killed during a NATO air raid in the southern Afghan province of Helmand according to villagers, the regional governor said Friday, according to dpa. The governor of the Gereshk region, Abdul Manaaf, said villagers had told him about the civilian fatalities. Fifty insurgents had also been killed. More than 50 insurgents had died in fierce clashes in Helmand, US- led coalition troops announced Thursday. The coalition had conducted air raids during the fighting, but there had been no reports of civilian casualties. A military operation was presently underway in the Gereshk region, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said Friday, adding, they had no intelligence on civilian casualties. Civilian fatalities in international military operations is presently infuriating the Afghan public.
