Troop deaths spiral in Afghanistan as debate rages

Five children and two women were among the dead. The family had been traveling in a van to a shrine, Hakim said.

In neighboring Paktika province, Afghan and foreign forces killed 11 Taliban insurgents during an overnight operation that included air strikes, Afghan and NATO officials said.

(Additional reporting by Ismail Sameem in KANDAHAR, Hamid Shalizi in KABUL and Matt Falloon in LONDON; Editing by David Fox)