KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, March 23 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 civilians were killed and eight others wounded following airstrikes targeting militants in northern Afghan province of Kunduz overnight, a local official said Saturday.
"Fighting and clashes during a military operation have been ongoing in Taluka, an area some 8 km north of provincial capital Kunduz city within the past days. Security forces launched airstrikes against militants in Taluka Friday night, but the strikes also caused civilian casualties," Yousuf Ayoubi, a provincial council official, told Xinhua.
The strikes also left several militants killed and injured, he said, adding further details will be shared with media by provincial officials later in the day.
Local villagers were carrying the victims' bodies to Kunduz city earlier Saturday to register their protest against civilian deaths and injuries, he said.
It is not immediately known whether the strikes were launched by Afghan Air Force or NATO-led coalition forces.
On Friday, seven Afghan army soldiers and two U.S. troops lost their lives and several soldiers wounded during clashes in Taluka while more than 30 Taliban militants were also killed and 10 injured in recent engagements.
Earlier this month, two dozen civilians were killed and injured during military operations and airstrikes in three eastern Afghan provinces.
The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces remain in control of most of the country's population centers and all of 34 provincial capitals, but Taliban insurgents control large portions of rural areas, staging coordinated large-scale attacks against Afghan cities and districts since early last year.
