British troops in southern Afghanistan have killed four civilians and injured three others after a vehicle failed to stop at a checkpoint.

Soldiers opened fire on the vehicle in the Sangin district of Helmand, suspecting that those inside were insurgents, Nato said.

The wounded Afghans were taken to a field hospital at the UK's Camp Bastion for treatment.

The International Security Assistance Force expressed regret at the incident.

However, it said the situation had been "caused by the reckless Pakistan Taleban 'execute spies' ...
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The BBC's Alistair Leithead said: "It's been a bad week for troops at Forward Base Inkerman. A dog handler was killed after a patrol came under attack from the Taleban and a soldier was injured when a British mortar bomb fell short.

In June a suicide bomber killed three troops in the area. Suicide attacks are a major risk in the Sangin valley."

(BBC)

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