Afghan family killed in NATO airstrike

Seven members of an Afghan family, including a woman and six young children, were killed in a NATO airstrike in eastern Afghanistan, local authorities said on Sunday. The strike took place in the Gerda Serai district of Paktai late on Saturday, the provincial governor's spokesman, Rohullah Samon, said. "The bombardment by ISAF killed the six children and wife of a man named Shafee," Samon said. A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said it was aware of reports of the incident in Paktia province and was gathering information. Samon said the air strike was not coordinated with Afghan security forces on the ground in the area. NATO is preparing to hand over all security responsibilities to Afghan forces and most foreign combat troops are scheduled to leave the country by the end of 2014. A NATO airstrike in Kapisa province, northeast of Kabul, in February killed eight children and prompted a furious Karzai to order an inquiry.