Afghan civilians killed in NATO air strike

Many Afghan civilians were killed and fifty others wounded in a NATO airstrike in Afghanistans southern Helmand province late on Thursday night.

Kabul, Aug 4 : Many Afghan civilians were killed and fifty others wounded in a NATO airstrike in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province late on Thursday night.

Afghanistan's Defence Ministry has claimed that at least 100 Taleban insurgents were killed, including some top leaders, during the air raid.

The Ministry did not rule out any civilian casualties.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the strike was targeted against Dadullah Mansour, the brother of the late Taleban military commander, Mullah Dadullah. However, there has been no official confirmation about the Taleban leader's death.

Kabul stated that the raid was carried out when Taleban leaders were witnessing the public execution of two people charged with spying for the government.

"During a sizable meeting of senior Taliban commanders, coalition forces employed precision-guided munitions on their location after ensuring there were no innocent Afghans in the surrounding area," a statement issued by NATO forces said.

The BBC reported that at least 50 people were admitted to a provincial hospital. The injured victims said they had been at a market when the bombardment happened. They confirmed the civilian deaths.

ANI