American fighter jets attacked a vehicle in eastern Afghanistan, killing 14 people, including women and children, US defence officials admitted last night.

The US central command, which is responsible for military operations in Afghanistan, said that the wounded child was taken to a military hospital and is in a stable condition. A central command spokesman, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Martin Compton, said he did not know if all of the dead were civilians. Unsurprisingly, the US military said they believed that the dead were "somehow affiliated" with the El Kaida terrorist network. US fighters attacked the vehicle after they saw it leave a compound that US intelligence had suspected of being used by El Kaida members.