Nine civilians killed, 11 others injured in airstrike in N Afghanistan - eyewitnesses
Kabul/Sputnik/UNI: An airstrike in Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh has left at least nine civilians killed and 11 others injured, local residents told Sputnik on Tuesday.
According to eyewitnesses who were returning from the evening prayers in the Balkh district, the attack took place on Monday night.
At the same time, the 209th Shaheen (Falcon) Corps denied that there were civilian casualties, yet confirmed there were two injured civilians.
"Last night, the Taliban wanted to occupy the main road and ambush a convoy of security forces but the Afghan forces attacked them," a spokesman for the military corps, Hanif Rezai, said in a statement.
The Taliban, in turn, have attributed the airstrike to the US-led international forces.
"Locals had gathered ... when US planes attacked them, nine tribal elders were killed and seven others injured," the radical group said in a statement.
In the meantime, Balkh residents took to the streets to protest the attack and demand justice.
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