Kabul - Afghan lawmakers walked out of parliament on Monday to protest the latest civilian casualties at the hands of US-led forces, calling on the Afghan government to regulate the activities of foreign forces in the country.

After debating for several hours on what the country's parliament could do to prevent civilian deaths in NATO's anti-Taliban operations, the members of the lower house of parliament closed for half a day to protest the more than 100 civilians killed in western Afghanistan in recent days.

Afghan provincial officials in western Farah claimed that as many as 147 civilians were killed in a US-led operation in the Bala Boluk district of the province a week ago.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has also said that up to 130 civilians were killed in the operation, while a US military probe found that "a number of civilians" were killed, without giving any numbers.

"In the resolution of the lower house, we asked the government to send us, within a week, a comprehensive plan to regulate the presence and activities of the foreign forces in the country," Abdul Satar Khawasi, secretary for the lower house, said.

"There should be a law and if the foreign soldiers violate it, they should be prosecuted in Afghanistan by that law. But, so far, we don't have such a law," he said.

He said some of the legislators suggested closing the parliament, "because if we and the government can't protect the people of this country, there is no need for the existence."

Mohammad Nahim Farahi, a lawmaker from Farah province, said that, according to his latest information from the province, 140 civilians lost their lives in two villages of Bala Boluk district, with 95 of them under age of 18.

If confirmed by the Afghan government, it would be the deadliest incident involving civilian fatalities since the ouster of the Taliban regime in late 2001.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the United Nations in Afghanistan, Aleem Siddique, said that a joint Afghan and US military investigation was looking into allegations that white phosphorous was possibly used in Bala Bulok district, as some of the wounded civilians had unusual burns.

Doctors in western Afghanistan have voiced concerns that some chemical substance could have been used in the latest attack in Farah, as the patients had unusual burns. Such a revelation would increase concerns about the already controversial incident. (dpa)