Afghan Airstrike Kills at Least Nine Civilians in Logar Province

Afghan forces carried out an airstrike early Monday in Afghanistan’s Logar Province, killing at least nine civilians, including children, and wounding a number of others. The attack hit the Baraki Barak District, near the provincial capital.

The Afghan Defense Ministry said they believed they were targeting “suspected Taliban,” and are investigating reports of civilians killed. Provincial officials have provided no indication that any Taliban were killed at all.

This is the latest of several recent cases of civilian casualties in Afghan government operations in Logar Province. As one MP noted, there hasn’t been any attempt by the government to provide an explanation for what happened.

Provincial officials indicated that all the “suspected Taliban” killed were members of the same family, and that as many as six were children. Afghan airstrikes have killed a growing number of civilians in recent months.