Afghan air strike kills eight

By Sharafuddin Sharafyar

HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A ground and air attack killed two Taliban commanders and six civilians in southwestern Afghanistan, the provincial governor said on Monday.

Afghan and international troops, acting on intelligence, raided a compound in the Bakwa district of Farah province late on Sunday, Mahaiddin Baloch said.

A Taliban commander who owned the house, Mullah Manan, managed to escape with four other fighters, but two other Taliban commanders in the compound were killed by a ground and air attack, Baloch said.

Six civilians were also killed, he said.

The issue of civilian casualties is sensitive as it saps support for the pro-Western Afghan government and foreign troops, and Afghan leaders regularly urge international forces to exercise care when choosing targets.

Earlier, the Farah provincial police chief said one woman, two children and four male civilians were killed in the attack.

A provincial official, who declined to be named, said the civilians killed were family members of the Taliban commander.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said none of its forces was involved in any incident in Farah. The separate U.S.-led coalition said it was checking the whether its troops were involved.