Helicopters in Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of The U.S. Army and Creative Commons.

The family’s home was attacked by accident Friday during an airstrike that was launched in response to a Taliban attack.

The mistake was first made public by the governor of Helmand Province, Muhammad Gulab Mangal on Monday, according to the New York Times.

According to the New York Times:

A spokesman for the United States military in Helmand, Lt. Col. Stewart Upton, said, “we don’t have any issues with the governor’s statement.” He said American officials had been aware of the deaths and had immediately started an investigation.

“We expressed regret over the incident, and we’re investigating to determine how this happened, we are deeply saddened by any civilian death and particularly regret an incident where civilians are killed, especially due to action by ISAF,” he said.

He added that General Gurganus “will be formally apologizing in the next couple of days to the family.”

The Afghan family lost the mother and five children, three girls and two boys, according to Afghan officials cited in the New York Times Article.

The Washington Post reported:

The strike was called in after insurgents attacked foreign and Afghan forces in the area, he said in a statement. Helmand’s governor called the incident a mistake.