Three civilians were killed early yesterday when US helicopters bombed their home in Afghanistan's southeastern province of Khost, a local official said. But the US military said it had killed three suspected Taliban fighters in "tactical raids" and detained 23 others. Four US soldiers were wounded in the firefight, but none seriously. Khost's mayor Jalil Ahmad Hassani said a US convoy or patrol with its lights off was attacked by frightened locals between Tani and Gurbuz areas south of the city. "There is a house they were passing by, and the people in the house think it is their enemies driving towards them so they open fire at these vehicles which had their lights off and were coming towards their house," Hassani said. "The Americans fire back and ask for air support. Helicopters come and take the house under fire." The mayor said the resulting violence had left two men and a woman dead and the house partially destroyed. "They were civilians and it was an accident," he added. Villagers said no US patrol had been fired on, adding that Afghans had wrongly identified the house to the Americans as a hideout for Al Qaeda or Taliban. "The Americans acted on wrong information and bombed our village," said Ayoub, whose father was wounded. "We had a family feud and I think the Americans have taken the other side's word for it that Taliban and Al Qaeda people were hiding here." The bombing and deaths were confirmed by Khost's intelligence chief Mohammed Farooq. "Americans have bombed the house," he told AFP. The US-led coalition released a statement saying that "precision air support was used and all rounds were on target" during "tactical raids". The offensive was carried out "to rid the area of suspected anti-coalition militia", according to the statement released by coalition spokeswoman US Sergeant Cindy Beam. "The three deaths occurred after the ACMs (anti-coalition militia) fired on and wounded four US soldiers," it said. The four wounded soldiers were being treated at Bagram Air Base, some 50km north of Kabul. Khost province, which borders Pakistan's tribal regions, is suspected of harbouring Taliban and other militants. These would be the first reported civilian deaths in a US air attack since January, when 11 Afghans, including four children, were killed in a US air raid on the village of Sawghataq, in the central province of Uruzgan. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Three Afghan civilians were killed and two wounded in a pre-dawn swoop by U.S. helicopter gunships in Afghanistan's southeastern province of Khost on Friday. (Reuters Graphic)