NATO forces in southern Afghanistan killed one civilian on Sunday after he approached their convoy in a vehicle, while a US soldier was killed in a clash with suspected Taliban in the eastern region, the military said.
The incident happened when the civilian vehicle approached the convoy in Garmsir district in Helmand province Sunday morning, the alliance said in a statement.
"The vehicle had no headlights, and was travelling at a high rate of speed at the time of the incident," it said. "After firing three to five rounds into the grill of the vehicle, it stopped.
"One civilian received a gunshot wound to the chest," it said, adding that the man died of his wounds after he was evacuated to a military hospital.
Wary of suicide bombers, who often use explosive-filled vehicles to target international and Afghan military forces, NATO troops have killed dozens of civilians who failed to stop at checkpoints or approach the convoys.
More than 2,400 civilians were killed in attacks by insurgents or NATO troops in 2009, according to a recent UN report. Nearly 70 per cent of the casualties were inflicted by Taliban insurgents, while Afghan and NATO troops were responsible for the deaths of 25 per cent civilians, it said.
In a separate incident, a US soldier died of wounds after a clash with Taliban insurgents Saturday, a military statement said.
The latest death took to 19 the number of foreign soldiers killed in January. A total of 520 NATO troops were killed in the conflict in 2009, the deadliest year for international forces since 2001.