Afghanistan ? U.S.-led coalition and Afghan troops clashed with insurgents during a raid in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, and civilians as well as militants were killed. In the country’s volatile south, separate explosions apparently targeting NATO forces killed two children and a British soldier.

In central Ghazni province, a U.S. civilian helping Afghan farmers died in a roadside bomb explosion Thursday, officials said.

The joint force came under attack during a raid on compounds suspected of housing militants in Waza Khwa district, in Paktika province. In the ensuing battle, several Taliban fighters, but also civilians – including a woman and a child – were killed, a coalition statement said.

The military said it would investigate the deaths.