Air strike kills Afghan civilians: Provincial official

An air strike by foreign forces in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province on Wednesday killed civilians, although the number of victims is unknown, a spokesman for the provincial governor said.

"A patrol of foreign troops came under Taliban ambush at 3pm. After the ambush, planes came and bombed the area, which caused civilian casualties," said Dawud Ahmadi, spokesman for the Helmand governor. He could not yet give further details.

Officials are still investigating how many people died in the attack in the outskirts of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, he added. Helmand is a stronghold of the Taliban insurgency.

A press officer for Nato-led forces declined immediate comment on the incident.