Four Afghan civilians die in UK-ordered air strike

LONDON (Reuters) - Four civilians died in an air strike ordered by British forces in southern Afghanistan, Britain's Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.

Tuesday's strike was called in after Taliban militants ambushed British troops operating in the southern province of Helmand, the ministry said. The dead included two women and two children and a fifth person was injured.

"We can confirm that UK forces were involved in an operation in the south of Helmand province," a spokeswoman for the ministry said.

"We deeply regret that this incident happened and do everything we can to mitigate this happening."

Afghan civilians have repeatedly accused British and American forces of being indiscriminate in their air strikes, with civilians frequently said to be among the victims.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has voiced his anger and frustration at the number of civilian deaths, which have tended to fuel the local population's resentment of foreign troops.

It was not immediately clear whether British aircraft or those of another force carried out the air strike.

Last month an air strike targeting a Taliban commander killed seven civilians from one family, local Afghan officials said.

A total of 1,977 civilians were killed in fighting in Afghanistan during 2007, including nearly 240 who lost their lives in air strikes by foreign troops, according to a leading Afghan NGO.

(Reporting by Luke Baker; Editing by Jon Boyle)