An Afghan official Thursday said NATO troops killed six civilians, including a 13-year-old student, in the eastern province of Khost, according to dpa. "NATO forces raided three houses in Habeshkhel village in Khost province. They killed civilians including a 13-year-old student," Mohammad Zadran, the spokesman for the provincial governor's office, said. "A father and his son were killed in one house and in another house, they killed a father, his son and a daughter. A woman was killed in the third house," Zadran said. Major Tim James, spokesman for the NATO-led forces, said all six people who were killed in Wednesday night's joint operation belonged to the Haqqani militant network. "We did have a NATO-led night operation in the capital of Khost province last night searching for Haqqani insurgents in which six insurgents were killed," James said. James said that among the dead was an adult female insurgent who was killed after she fired at the combined forces. The target of the operation was a Haqqani leader responsible for attacks against the Afghan National Army and the transfer of weapons and explosives throughout the district, the military alliance said in a statement.
