(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) ISLAMABAD, July 16 (KUNA) -- At least five civilians and 22 Taliban militants were killed in an airstrike by Afghan forces in Afghanistan's central province of Logar, said officials on Tuesday.
Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs in a statement to media said that the airstrike in Kamalkhail village in Logar killed 22 Taliban militants, including their key commander Nematulah.
Army Commander in Logar, Colonel Abdul Matin Hassankhail also confirmed the casualties saying that there might be some civilians at the Taliban gathering.
According to local media, five civilians were killed and 11 others including children were wounded in the air strike.
However, Taliban rebels claimed that the airstrike has left 24 civilians dead and 10 others wounded.
The air strike came at a time when the country has witnessed a sharp rise in civilian casualties recently. On Monday, at least nine passengers were killed and 18 others wounded when a vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province.
The air strike followed the seventh round of Taliban-US talks in Qatar's capital city, Doha that concluded with issuance of a joint statement approving a "roadmap for peace" to try to end 18-years war in Afghanistan. (end)
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