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KABUL: As the Afghan security forces escalated attacking Taliban insurgents across the country, Afghan civilians continue to pay the highest price as after civilian killing in Helmand, now at least 11 civilians have been killed in north-eastern Takhar province.
Takhar residents said 29 others received injures in the clash between security forces and the Taliban in the past three days, ariananews, a local news agency reported.
“Yes, we can confirm civilian casualties. Four members of a single family were killed and eight others wounded after insurgent fired rockets slammed into their house,” a local official quoted by agency, as saying.
On Tuesday, the rocket hit a house at Dasht-e-Qala.
However, the source said that the Afghan security forces conducted clearance operations in Dasht-e-Qala and Khawaja Ghar districts of Takhar, in which dozens of the Taliban insurgents were killed.
Khawaja Ghar and 10 villages in Dasht-e-Qala districts have been cleared of the militants, a military source said.
However, no group or individual claims responsibility for that attack yet, but spokesman for Takhar police said that Taliban insurgents had unleashed the rocket.
Taliban militants who control parts of the northern Takhar province are yet to make comment.
This comes after at least 21 civilians, including women and children have been killed in two separate airstrikes in Sangin district of southern Helmand province three days ago.
However, a provincial council member putted the death toll to 13, while governor spokesman said he has no exact figures of casualty, but confirmed airstrikes pounded the district, as a result 20 Taliban insurgents were killed, four others wounded.
But, Senator Mohammad Hashim Alkozai said 13 civilians were killed in one strike and eight in another. Both were carried out late Friday in the Sangin district, where heavy fighting is underway between NATO-backed Afghan forces and the Taliban, Associated Press reported. Alkozai said at least five other people were wounded in the airstrikes.
“Innocent people, women and children, are the only victims of the airstrikes,” he said, adding that the military operations have stoked public anger.”
“We can confirm airstrikes occurred in Sangin district, in which a number of civilians were killed and wounded,’ Provincial Governor Spokesman Omar Zwak told Afghanistan Times, but he had no exact figures of casualty toll.
