Afghan civilians killed

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- An official Afghan government report concluded several civilians, rather than a reported cell of militants, were killed by U.S. troops in an attack Sunday.

An initial NATO statement said nine insurgents were killed in an attack in Kunar province in northeastern Afghanistan but a follow-up investigation by Afghan officials claims those killed were civilians, including eight school-age boys.

The deaths of civilians in Afghanistan, even though most are caused by Taliban militants, present a public relations problem for allied forces as they undermine claims the forces are in place to protect the Afghan people. U.S. and NATO forces have worked to limit the number of civilian deaths.

Concerns about the number of deaths of non-combatants are rising ahead of the expected surge in allied forces. The United States plans to increase its forces by about 30,000 troops while other NATO forces have promised about 7,000 additional troops.

The Afghan defense ministry said U.S. Special Forces were involved in Sunday's attack. NATO said the operation was carried out by both Afghan and Western troops.