A Nato airstrike killed nine members of a family in Afghanistan when their mudbrick home was hit by two huge bombs. It was the second time in less than 24 hours that coalition forces were blamed for the deaths of civilians.

The incident appeared likely to increase tension between Nato and Hamid Karzai, the Afghan President, who accused international troops yesterday of not doing enough to avoid civilian casualties and of damaging public support for his administration The airstrike took place on Sunday night after militants fired on a Nato base in Kapisa, just north of Kabul. Coalition forces retaliated and hit a civilian compound, killing five adults and four children, aged between 6 months and 5 years.

A US military statement confirmed that two 2,000lb bombs landed on the compound. The Nato base at Kapisa is staffed by US forces.

Lieutenant-Colonel David Accetta, a coalition spokesman, said: “Coalition forces observed two men with AK47s leaving the scene of the rocket attack and entering the compound. These men knowingly endangered civilians by retreating into a populated area while conducting attacks against coalition forces.”

After seeing the men entering the compound American forces called in the airstrike.

It is unclear how many insurgents, if any, were killed in the blast, but Zemarai Bashray, an Interior Ministry spokesman, told The Times that nine civilians were killed and that the Government had sent a delegation to the area to investigate the incident further.

On Sunday US Marines were accused of firing on civilian cars and pedestrians after a frenzied escape from a suicide bomb and gunfire attack in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan. The violence set off antiUS demonstrations by hundreds of Afghan men. In a statement issued by the President’s office, Mr Karzai said that he strongly condemned the incident.

The Nangarhar incident was triggered when a suicide bomber blew up his van laden with explosives close to an American Humvee. The US military said that militants then opened fire from several locations on the troops and in the ensuing gun battle at least ten civilians were killed. Witnesses strongly contested this. The American account of the attack was also disputed by two senior provincial Afghan officials, who asked not to be named.

A reporter who spoke to more than a dozen witnesses could find no one to backed up the US claims. Akhtyar Gul, who says that he witnessed the incident, described seeing American forces spraying bullets in all directions, some of which struck his house. He said he also saw a woman working in a nearby field hit by gunfire.

“There was nobody on the road to fire on the Americans,” Mr Gul said.

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, said that Nato and the US military were in danger of alienating Afghans with their heavy-handed approach. They were also wrong to emphasise their ability to kill Taleban because “the ensuing collateral damage in a culture that emphasises revenge has created ten enemies out of one and has disillusioned most Afghans”.

It is feared that the latest deaths are the start of a Taleban spring offensive.

– Two British soldiers killed on Saturday during a rocket attack in Sangin Valley, Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, were named yesterday as Lance Bombardier Ross Clark, 25, and Lance Bombardier Liam McLaughlin, 21, both from 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery. Their deaths bring to 50 the number of British forces personnel killed in Afghanistan since operations began in November 2001.

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