Four members of a single family were killed as the result of an airstrike carried out by Afghan Air Force in the northern Balkh province, a local official confirmed to Kabul Now.
Spokesperson for Balkh governor, Munir Ahmad Farhad, told Kabul Now that the strike was conducted last night, June 24, in Wazirabad village of Balkh district of the province. He detailed that all the victims were civilians, including one women, two children, and a man.
To protest against the innocent civilians killing and advocating for brining those responsible for the incident to justice, the villagers have taken all dead bodies of the victims to Mazar-e-Sharif, capital city of Balk province.
Citing officials of the Afghan 209 Shaheen Military Corps – responsible for ensuring security in the north of Afghanistan –, the governor spokesperson, however, said that the airstrike had targeted a gathering of the Taliban in the village. Though he did not provide a specific number, he confirmed that the Taliban also suffered some casualties as the result of the airstrike.
Balkh is one of Afghanistan’s major and key provinces in the north of the country. The province has become insecure with the Taliban militants have gradually expanded their operation in some parts of the province in recent years.
