Of 21 such attacks, highlighted by Wikileaks at the weekend, two thirds involved soldiers from just three units, a Freedom of Information request discovered.
The Coldstream Guards shot four civilians in Kabul over three weeks, Royal Marine commandos killed or wounded civilians eight times in six months, and the Rifles were involved in three incidents last year. Casualties included children.
A spokesman for the MoD said it “deeply regretted all civilian casualties”.
A separate document seen by The Daily Telegraph suggested coalition forces had been responsible for up to 1,000 civilian deaths since 2006. The number has doubled in the past four years.
Meanwhile one of Britain’s most senior officers claimed its forces in southern Afghanistan were under-resourced until the US troop surge earlier this year.
During questioning by MPs, Major Gen Gordon Messenger admitted that the number of civilian casualties “has steadily gone up”.
He said that in his time as commander in Helmand there was “insufficient” manpower.
The US realised “the scale of the challenge” was not matched by the resources.
