Karzai Condemns NATO Airstrike: 16 Civilians Killed

Local Editor

Afghan President Hamid Karzai Sunday condemned a NATO airstrike in the east of the country that according to a statement from his office left 16 civilians dead.

"Hamid Karzai considers attacking women and children against all accepted international norms and strongly condemns it," the statement said after the airstrike Saturday in Kunar province.

The statement said that according to information from Kunar Provincial Governor Shujaul Mulk Jalala a vehicle "was targeted by a NATO airstrike that killed 16 civilians including women and children."
Earlier the governor had stated the dead also included militants.
"Four armed insurgents belonging to al-Qaeda were also killed in the airstrike," he said.

Kunar Police Chief Abdul Habib Sayedkhil stated that the airstrike had killed at least 10 civilians, including four women and four children.
For its part, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force denied that civilians had been killed, saying 10 enemy forces had died in the airstrike.

"We can confirm Coalition Forces conducted a precision strike yesterday... resulting in 10 enemy forces killed," ISAF said in a statement.

"At this time, we have no reports of any civilian casualties in regards to this incident," it said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team