The president's remarks follow a recent strike that mistakenly killed a group of children and women in southern Helmand province. He said it would be the last.

It has been a particularly bloody month in Helmand province, where British troops have been slugging it out with the Taliban for three years for limited gains.

She braved the dangers of war to spend time with troops in the treacherous Helmand Province.

More than 20 rockets fell in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, in the south, including one that landed near a line of voters and killed a child.

For those who patrol the valleys of Helmand, it is a way to impose limits on the uncertainty of war and the constancy of vulnerability.