Afghan child slaughtered by Danish fire

Danish soldiers have reportedly killed an Afghan child and injured two civilians in southern Afghanistan when allegedly returning insurgent fire.

The incident took place on Friday during crossfire between Taliban militants and the Danish motorized patrol, AFP reported quoting a statement by the Danish military.

The wounded were the child's father and her elder sister.

Commenting on the incident, the head of the Danish operations, Colonel Erik Sommer referred to the army as having "registered few cases of civilians killed by its forces" in Afghanistan in the past.

Denmark has assigned more than 700 troops to the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which commands 100,000-plus forces.

The operations have continuously brought about civilian casualties since August when a United Nations report pointed to 1,500 deaths since the beginning of the year.

Despite a recent surge in the number of foreign forces in Afghanistan, 2009 has been the deadliest year for the international troops and civilians in the country, since the 2001 US-led invasion.

The increasing number of civilian casualties in the war-torn country has caused anti-US sentiments among Afghan people.