A NATO warplane has launched an airstrike against a civilian family in the Herat Province of western Afghanistan today, killing four of them, including one woman and another child.

No combatants were reported in the vicinity of the attack and it is at this point totally unclear why an airstrike was launched at all, let alone one that targeted a bunch of civilians on a pair of motorcycles.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai slammed the news of the killings, saying they proved NATO does not value the lives of Afghan civilians, and that the strike violated existing bilateral agreements.

NATO has yet to offer any explanation, beyond being “aware” of the reports of civilian deaths, and promising some sort of investigation into the matter. NATO usually offers “regrets,” but not apologies, for civilians killed in such strikes.