Protesters: US Airstrike Killed Five Civilians in Eastern Afghanistan

US claims 11 killed, all Taliban

Protesters took to the streets of Ghazni on Sunday, carrying the bodies of five civilians who they reported were killed in the US airstrike against a village in the nearby Khoja Omari District.

The civilians were killed in a drone attack overnight in the village. One of the locals described losing a son and a brother in the attack, while others reported a survivor was taken to a hospital and had died there subsequently.

As with other recent reports of civilian casualties in US operation sin Afghanistan, the US is denying any wrongdoing. They confirmed airstrikes in the district in question, but claimed all 11 killed were Taliban, and that there were no civilian deaths.

These denials have come despite a growing number of reports of US strikes killing civilians. In spite of this, the Pentagon is reporting Defense Secretary Mark Esper is keen to make improvements to reduce deaths, and improve transparency.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is news editor of