Girl in Afghanistan killed by RAF leaflets

A girl has died in Afghanistan after a box of leaflets dropped by the RAF landed on top of her.

The Ministry of Defence has described the incident, which occurred on June 23rd, as "highly regrettable".

Reports suggest a RAF Hercules had been flying over rural parts of Helmand province distributing public information leaflets to Afghan civilians.

The box carrying the leaflets was meant to open mid-air causing the pamphlets to scatter over a wide area.

However, one box failed to open and struck the young girl on the ground.

An RAF spokesman is quoted by the Times newspaper as saying: "In a tragic incident on June 23rd, an airdrop of public information leaflets took place over a rural area in Helmand province.

"Sadly, one of the boxes failed to fully open and on landing caused serious injuries to an Afghan child.

"The child was treated at the local medical facility in Kandahar where, despite the best efforts of staff, she died as a result of her injuries."

The leaflet drops have been occurring with increasingly regularity in recent months due to the country's election in August.