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dpa
Kabul
Around 20 people were killed in an airstrike conducted in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar, officials said on Friday.
Those killed were Taliban militants, including a well-known field commander and a bomb expert, according to provincial council members Welayat Khan and Saadullah.
The incident took place in the Shultan district and also left at least 20 civilians wounded, Saadullah said.
However, the civilians wounded in the operation were family members of the militants, according to Saadullah and a local tribal leader. The tribal leader, who withheld his name due to security reasons, said four houses were targeted in the aerial operation. US forces have remarkably increased their airstrikes this year.
Based on statistics provided by the US military, close to 6,000 “weapons” - meaning bombs and rockets - were dropped in Afghanistan between January and the end of October 2018. A total of 4,361 “weapons” were dropped throughout the country during the whole of 2017.
Experts believe the US and Afghan forces recently started targeting Taliban field commanders because they see them as opposed to a possible peaceful settlement in the conflict.
Kabul
Around 20 people were killed in an airstrike conducted in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar, officials said on Friday.
Those killed were Taliban militants, including a well-known field commander and a bomb expert, according to provincial council members Welayat Khan and Saadullah.
The incident took place in the Shultan district and also left at least 20 civilians wounded, Saadullah said.
However, the civilians wounded in the operation were family members of the militants, according to Saadullah and a local tribal leader. The tribal leader, who withheld his name due to security reasons, said four houses were targeted in the aerial operation. US forces have remarkably increased their airstrikes this year.
Based on statistics provided by the US military, close to 6,000 “weapons” - meaning bombs and rockets - were dropped in Afghanistan between January and the end of October 2018. A total of 4,361 “weapons” were dropped throughout the country during the whole of 2017.
Experts believe the US and Afghan forces recently started targeting Taliban field commanders because they see them as opposed to a possible peaceful settlement in the conflict.
