Kabul: The US-led military coalition says it regrets the killing of eight civilians in a NATO airstrike this month in eastern Afghanistan.
The coalition dropped two bombs on February 08 in Najrab district in Kapisa province, after movements by eight people on the ground were assessed as a threat to Afghan police and NATO forces in the area.
Air Commodore Mike Wigston, the director of NATO air operations, said on Wednesday the international forces believed they were "young teenagers" who were armed.
Local officials say seven were boys between the ages of 6 and 14 and one was a mentally ill young man around 18 to 20 years old.
US General John Allen, the top commander in Afghanistan, has met with the provincial governor to express his condolences.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 14:43