NATO Strike Kills 11 Children, Insurgents in Afghanistan

NATO strike kills 11: A NATO air strike has killed 11 children and one woman in Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday.
NATO Strike Kills 11 Children, Insurgents in Afghanistan
Jack Phillips
4/7/2013
Updated:
7/18/2015

NATO strike kills 11: A NATO air strike has killed 11 children and one woman in Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday.

The BBC reported that another six women were injured in the attack in Shigal district, located in Kunar province.

Villagers told the broadcaster that the civilians died while they were in their homes.

“The fighting started yesterday morning [Saturday] and continued for at least seven hours. There were heavy exchanges between both sides,” tribal elder Haji Malika Jan told the BBC.

He added that the area where the strike took place “is very close to the Pakistani border and there are hundreds of local and foreign fighters, mostly Pakistanis, in the area.'’

Civilian casualties have been a longstanding source of tension between the United States and the Afghan government. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has told his troops they cannot carry out air strikes and told NATO not to fire on more populated areas.

The Nato-led International Security Assistant Force (ISAF) said in a statement that none of its personnel were involved on the ground. However, ISAF “provided fire support from the air, killing several insurgents,” it said.

“We are also aware of reports of several civilians injured from the engagement, but no reports of civilian deaths. Isaf takes all reports of civilian casualties seriously, and we are currently assessing the incident,” the coalition added.

In the attack, six insurgents were killed during the operation, reported Reuters. Two of the militants were senior Taliban leaders.

However, Wasifullah Wasifi, a spokesman for Kunar province told AFP that “eight militants were killed in the strike” and “six women were wounded.”

Over the weekend, a car bomb also killed five Americas, including a diplomat, a U.S. defense contractor, and three soldiers in the southern province of Zabul.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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