Most of the casualties were in Helmand province but Taliban insurgents also staged an attack in Kabul.
KABUL, Afghanistan – At least 30 civilians were killed along with 16 Taliban fighters as Afghan government forces battled insurgents in southern Helmand province overnight, provincial officials said Wednesday.
In the eastern part of the capital Kabul, Taliban insurgents staged a coordinated attack against security forces when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives and fighters then engaged them in a gun battle, an Afghan official said.
Attahullah Afghan, who heads the provincial council, said most of the casualties in Helmand – which included men, women and children – incurred in an airstrike that hit a house on Tuesday night during military operations in the province, a Taliban heartland.
A child that was wounded in the attack was brought to a hospital in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, he said.
A statement from governor’s office in Helmand confirmed that 16 Taliban insurgents were killed and said that an investigation was underway to determine the number of civilian casualties.
It said the militants had stockpiled ammunition in the area of the operation, which could have caused civilian casualties.
