A number of civilians, including four brothers, have been killed in Afghan forces night raid in Jaghato district of central Wardak province, but the provincial officials have claimed they had inflicted heavy toll on Taliban.
Local residents and officials provided conflicting figures of civilian and Taliban deaths.
Residents say Afghan forces conducted night raids in three villages of the district on Saturday night killing at least 14 civilians and four Taliban fighters.
Ziauddin Kamal, a tribal elder, told Spogmai FM, a local radio station in Kabul, that 14 civilian, including four brothers, and four Taliban fighters were killed during the operation.
However, Akhtar Mohammad Taheri, head of provincial council, said 14 of the killed were Taliban militants and four others, all from the same family, were civilians.
A spokesman for the provincial governor Mohibullah Sharifzoy said at least 20 Taliban fighters from their so-called Red Unit were killed in the Afghan forces raid.
Zabihullah Mujahed, Taliban’s spokesperson, claimed that pro-government forces killed at least seven civilians and wounded a number of others with two of them still missing. He denied killing of the group’s fighters in the operation.
