KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, March 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) – At least 10 civilians were killed and eight others wounded, following air strikes targeting militants in northern Afghan province of Kunduz, overnight.
“Fighting and clashes during a military operation have been ongoing in Taluka, an area some eight km north of provincial capital Kunduz city. Security forces launched air strikes against militants in Taluka, but the strikes also caused civilian casualties,” Yousuf Ayoubi, a provincial council official, said.
The strikes also left several militants killed and injured, he said, adding, further details will be shared with the media by provincial officials, later in the day.
It is not immediately known whether the strikes were launched by Afghan Air Force or NATO-led coalition forces.
On Friday, seven Afghan army soldiers and two U.S. troops lost their lives and several soldiers wounded, during clashes in Taluka, while more than 30 Taliban militants were also killed and 10 injured in recent engagements.
The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces remain in control of most of the country’s population centres and all of 34 provincial capitals, but Taliban insurgents control large portions of rural areas, staging coordinated large-scale attacks against Afghan cities and districts since early last year.– NNN-AGENCIES
