5 civilians killed, as many injured in Helmand strike

LASHKARGAH (Pajhwok): At least five civilians have been killed and as many wounded as a result of an airstrike in southern Helmand province.

A security official, who wished to go unnamed, told Pajhwok Afghan News the raid hit civilian homes in the Bushran area of Lashkargah, the provincial capital, on Wednesday night.

“The airstrike struck the homes Haji Wazir Aka and Juma Gul as a result five civilians were killed and three others wounded, he said.

The source said three women and two men were among the dead. The houses of Hajir Wazir Aka and Juma Gul were struck, he revealed.

Governor Gen. Abdullah Nabi Ilham, meanwhile, confirmed to Pajhwok five civilians had been killed and five others wounded in the overnight incident.

“It was yet to be ascertained whether the civilians were killed in the airstrike or by a mortar shell fired by militants,” he added.

Ilham said a commission had been tasked with probing the incident and its findings would be shared with the media later on.

Taliban confirmed the raid. The movement’s spokesman, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi claimed US forces had struck civilian homes in Bushran area.

He said five civilians, including three women, were killed and three others wounded.

But USFOR-A spokesman Col Sonny Leggett said that American forces had carried out no airstrike in Helmand.

sa/mud

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