Afghan raid kills two civilians

At least six Taleban militants and two civilians have been killed in air strikes by coalition forces in western Afghanistan, officials say.

A US military spokesman said a patrol of Afghan and international troops had come under "intense and accurate" fire from a compound in Farah province.

Air strikes were called in. Unconfirmed reports say key Taleban commander Mullah Fazil was among those killed.

The Afghan army says the dead civilians were a woman and a young boy.

A statement from the US-led coalition said: "Two civilians were killed and two wounded during the conduct of the insurgent ambush operation."

The latest civilian deaths come at a time of rising anger over such incidents.

Aid groups and the Afghan government estimate that more than 500 civilians have been killed during operations by foreign and Afghan forces so far this year.

Analysts say such incidents are driving a wedge between the US-led coalition and the Afghan government.