Afghanistan: NATO airstrike kills family of 8

A NATO airstrike killed a family of eight, including six children, when it hit their home in eastern Afghanistan Saturday.

"Eight people, a man, his wife and six of their children, are dead," local government spokesman Rohullah Samoon told Agence France-Presse. "It was an airstrike conducted by NATO. This man had no connection to the Taliban or any other terrorist group."

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NATO troops returned fire after a large number of insurgents attacked them in Paktia province, also prompting them to request air support from a nearby base, reported CNN.

"We are taking any claim about civilian casualty very seriously, and we are looking at finding out information about what really happened last night," Maj. Martyn Crighton, a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force, said to CNN.

Karzai ordered his government to conduct its own investigation into the airstrike, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Civilian killings by foreign forces have been a major sticking point in President Hamid Karzai's relationship with international partners, reported the Associated Press. Afghanistan's leader warned earlier this month that any civilian casualties could undermine a partnership with the US that is responsible for governing long-term relations after international troops withdraw by the end of 2014.