US-led airstrike kills 20 in Afghanistan

Just when we thought the killing of civilians in Afghanistan has ended: A US-led airstrike has killed 20 people and wounded several others in the troubled southern regions of that country: The US-led military alliance ays the airstrike took place in a district of Kandahar Province, near the border with Pakistan. NATO issued a statement, saying that the Friday airstrike targeted a group of Taliban militants in Spin Boldak district, considered to be a Taliban-linked stronghold. The incident comes as the US and its allies step up a bombing campaign in southern Afghanistan.

Afghan officials have repeatedly asked US-led forces to end the imprecise aerial bombardments that mostly inflict civilian casualties. US-led forces, however, maintain that they are targeting militants. US-led forces in Afghanistan are currently continuing with their massive military operation in Kandahar. Witnesses told Press TV that NATO forces have dropped more bombs on villages they think Taliban militants are hiding in, inflicting extensive damage to civilian properties. The Western military alliance says it is experimenting with a new, powerful bomb during the operation.