10 Killed, 50 Wounded In Protests Against NATO Raid In Afghanistan

At least 10 people were reported killed and more than 50 wounded in violent protests against the killing of two men and two women in a nighttime NATO raid in northern Afghanistan.

Local residents and police said the four dead were civilians.

NATO said all, including the women, were armed insurgents who had tried to fire on its forces.

Hours after the pre-dawn raid, more than 1,500 people carrying the bodies of the four dead marched into Taloqan, the regional capital of Takhar Province where the raid took place today.

The protesters later clashed with security forces and threw stones at a NATO outpost.

Civilian casualties are a major source of friction between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Western backers, and complicate efforts to win support for the war against insurgents.

Karzai condemned today's raid.

compiled from agency reports