Seven children were killed in a US-led coalition air strike against a suspected al-Qaeda hideout in eastern
A statement said that a number of militants were also killed in the raid in Paktika province near
The children are believed to have been students at a madrassa, or Islamic school, at the targeted compound.
In the south, three coalition soldiers and their Afghan interpreter died in a bomb blast, the
The deaths came after "an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in
Afghan police and coalition forces also fought "prolonged battles" with militants in Helmand and
Hours before the Sunday night air raid in Paktika, a devastating bomb attack on an Afghan police bus in
'Saddened'
A coalition statement said the air raid followed "credible intelligence" that al-Qaeda militants had taken shelter at the complex.
"Coalition forces confirmed the presence of nefarious activity occurring at the site before getting approval to conduct an air strike on the location," the statement said.
It said the compound in Zarghun Shah in Paktika province, about 120 miles (180km) south of the capital,
The statement said that residents of the targeted compound reported that militants had been at the camp all day.
"This is another example of al-Qaeda using the protective status of a mosque, as well as innocent civilians, to shield themselves," coalition spokesman Major Chris Belcher said.
"We are saddened by the innocent lives that were lost as a result of militants' cowardice."
In a later statement, the coalition said it did not believe any children were in or around the compound during the day.
It said other children who survived the air strike alleged that the seven children who died were held inside the building all day and beaten and pushed away from the door if they tried to go outside.
Paktika's governor has so far refused to comment on the attack, and there has been no word from locals themselves.
The BBC's Charles Haviland in
There is, however, anger at the rising number of civilians killed in such foreign-led strikes, and President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly asked the coalition and Nato-led forces to try to minimize such casualties, he says.
The fact that the coalition issued this statement quite rapidly suggests it is expecting a negative reaction.
Sunday's bomb attack on the police bus in
Police said a number of civilians were also among those killed in the rush-hour attack close to police headquarters in the city centre.
Five foreigners were wounded in the attack.
The BBC's world affairs editor, John Simpson, says such an attack is disturbingly new on the streets of
PHOTO CAPTION
US troops in Paktika province