Fighting destroys Kandahar homes

Fighting between US-led forces and the Taliban has destroyed or damaged hundreds of houses during a crucial campaign in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, a human rights group said.

The damage, reported by the Afghan Rights Monitor in Kandahar, is despite a US strategy to weaken Taliban support by limiting harm to civilians.

Nato forces have used aerial bombing to strike Taliban strongholds and to set off mines and homemade bombs, sometimes hidden as booby traps in homes.