NATO forces killed cousin of Afghan President
A furious row between NATO-led forces and the Afghan president over the killing of civilians looks set to turn into a full-blown crisis after an elderly cousin of Hamid Karzai was killed during a botched Nato operation.
Officials in the southern province of Kandahar confirmed that Haji Yar Mohammad Karzai, a second cousin of the president, was accidentally shot during an overnight operation in the family village of Karz.
Senior tribal leaders, including Karzai's powerful brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, had gathered for the funeral in keeping with the Islamic tradition of burying the dead within 24 hours.
Karzai's spokesman, Waheed Omar, said the president had ordered an immediate investigation by Afghan security forces.
"Like always with any other civilian casualty the president was saddened because he takes the loss of life extremely seriously," Omar said.