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Eight Afghan Civilians Killed In Air Strike


FILE: A protest against civilian casualties in Nangarhar Province in October 2018.
FILE: A protest against civilian casualties in Nangarhar Province in October 2018.

Afghan officials say at least eight people were killed in an air strike in the country's east.

Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar Province, said on February 15 that a vehicle carrying civilians was mistakenly struck by an air strike.

Khogyani said the target of the air strike in Sorkh Rod district on February 14 was Taliban fighters who had wanted to establish checkpoints on the road.

It was not immediately clear who bombed the vehicle.

A U.S. military spokesman said they were "looking into the incident."

The Afghan Defense Ministry said they had launched an investigation.

The incident came as the United States and the Taliban agreed to a weeklong reduction in violence in Afghanistan.

It was unclear when the temporary truce would take effect.

Attacks in Afghanistan jumped to record levels in the last quarter of 2019 compared with previous years.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

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