Four civilians died in an air strike in Afghanistan, Britain's defense ministry said on Wednesday, and a military expert said the tide of the war against “insurgents” was running against the United States and its allies.

Tuesday's strike was called in after Taliban fighters ambushed British troops operating in the southern province of Helmand, the ministry said. Two women and two children were killed and a fifth person was injured.

"We deeply regret that this incident happened and do everything we can to mitigate this happening," a spokeswoman for Britain's Ministry of defense said.

It was not immediately clear whether British aircraft or those of another force carried out the air strike.

A total of 1,977 civilians were killed in fighting in Afghanistan last year, including nearly 240 in air strikes by foreign troops, according to a leading Afghan NGO.

Afghan civilians have repeatedly accused British and American forces of being indiscriminate in their air strikes, with civilians frequently said to be among the victims.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has voiced his anger and frustration at the number of civilian deaths, which have tended to fuel the local population's resentment of foreign troops.

PHOTO CAPTION

British soldiers drive in a vehicle at the Kandahar Air Base in February 2008

Reuters