Afghan forces mistakenly kill 9, mostly civilians

KABUL – The Associated Press

Afghan forces mistakenly killed nine people, most of them civilians, during raid on a house in eastern Nangarhar province which has been a base for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other militants, officials said May 29.

The raid, which took place late on May 28 night in Chaparhar district, also wounded eight other civilians, said provincial governor Hayatullah Hayat. A local police commander was among the dead, he added.

According to the governor, gunfire had been coming from the house that was raided but the casualties were identified as mostly civilians once the operation ended. An investigation was underway to determine how the operation resulted in civilian casualties.

Both Taliban and ISIL are active in eastern Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, in the central province of Kabul, two people - a policeman and a civilian - were killed after a bomb attached to a bicycle detonated on May 28 in the Qarabagh district, said Mohammad Azem, the district governor.

Azem added that four others, three policemen and a civilian, were wounded in that attack.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. The Taliban have stepped up their attacks against Afghan security forces as well as government officials since the announcement of their spring offensive in April across the country.