A High Peace Council (HPC) provincial committee’s member and five of his relatives have been killed in an airstrike in Zurmat district of southeastern Paktia province, officials said Monday.
The airstrike targeted the house of tribal elder Mohammad Naim, a former jihadi commander and current HPC member, killing him, his brother, a son and three other relatives.
Jannat Khan Mangal, Paktia HPC head, said Mohammad Naim was a member of the provincial peace committee and it was unclear if he himself had been killed.
Abdullah, a resident of Salehkhel area of Zurmat district, said Afghan and coalition forces launched the air and ground operations in the area.
On the other hand, Paktia security officials confirmed operations, but said they had no accurate information about casualties and identities of those killed.
Airstrikes have recently increased in many provinces of the country against insurgents, but sometimes they inflicted casualties on civilians.
