Air strikes in eastern Afghanistan killed 45 people, including Taliban civilians and fighters, local officials said on Wednesday.
Ali Ahmad Faqir Yar, governor of the Adraskan district in the eastern Afghan province of Herat, said at least eight civilians were among the dead.
“Forty-five people have so far been killed in air strikes by security forces in the Kham Ziarat area. The Taliban were among the dead,” he said.
It was unclear how many of the remaining 37 were civilians and how many were members of the Taliban.
Qari Mohammad Yousuf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, said in a statement that two airstrikes in Herat killed eight civilians and wounded 12. Two local officials confirmed that there were two rounds of airstrikes.
“Such attacks would compel recently released prisoners who wish to live normal lives to take up arms once again against the enemy,” said Ahmadi.
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Afghanistan: loss of civilians in the United States air war | Fault lines |
‘We will spare no effort’
The Afghan Defense Ministry said it was investigating allegations of civilian casualties in attacks by Afghan forces in the area.
“The results of the investigation will be shared with the public and the media. The Defense and National Security Forces have the responsibility to protect the lives and property of people. In this sense, they use all opportunities and facilities and do not they will forgive any effort, “a statement said.
Habib Amini, a local official in the neighboring Guzara district, confirmed the incident and said 45 people died and more were injured.
A spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan said they had not participated in Wednesday’s air strikes.
Jailani Farhad, a spokesman for the Herat governor, told Anadolu news agency that at least six key Taliban commanders involved in major assaults in Herat were targeted by airstrikes. He He said the civilian casualties were caused by an explosion from a nearby land mine.
Fragile deal
The United States is withdrawing troops under a deal with the Taliban reached in February, which was intended to pave the way for formal peace talks between insurgents and the Afghan government.
However, disagreement over the release of prisoners demanded by the Taliban and increased violence across the country have hampered progress, and talks have not yet started.
The fragile Afghan peace deal depends on prisoner exchanges. In line with the historic peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban, some 5,000 Taliban prisoners should have been released from government jails in exchange for the approximately 1,000 captive security forces in March.
But, according to the National Security Council, the government has released 4,019 Taliban so far, while the Taliban released about half of the 1,000 prisoners it agreed to release.
The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission recently said in the first six months of this year that a total of 1,213 civilians were killed, while 1,744 had been injured in 880 incidents.
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