Civilians, mostly women and children, were killed last week in air raids by coalition forces in Afghanistan's Helmand province, an initial United Nations inquiry suggested.

On Thursday and Friday, as many as 18 civilians died in air strikes in Helmand's Sangin district, according to a statement released by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan on Sunday.

The UN said the strikes had been conducted by "international military forces", but only US aircraft have been involved in recent coalition strikes, according to US military officials.

Afghan officials and local residents told Al Jazeera that the death toll was higher than 18.

"The jets arrived at around 3am (local time) on Friday and started bombing indiscriminately in a heavy residential area. I lost my aunt, two cousins and a nephew in the strikes," Mullah Fazal Ahmed told Al Jazeera.

"Six others in my family were wounded," said Ahmed, adding that the bombardment lasted for up to half an hour.

"Most of them who were pulled out of the rubble were bodies of women and children, as young as five-years-old."

US military officials said their aircraft conducted around 30 air raids in Helmand in the past week. NATO's Resolute Support mission has initiated an inquiry into the incident.

"We are investigating the allegations, but let me tell you, no one has reached any final conclusion on this incident in Helmand," Brigadier General Charles Cleveland, a US army spokesman in Afghanistan told Al Jazeera.

"We all know that there is a fight against the Taliban going on in Sangin for the past 10 days, there are mortars being fired by the Taliban and Afghan forces are fighting them, so its not at all clear at the moment how these civilians were killed."

READ MORE: UN to probe US air raid that killed women and children

The NATO-led military mission has deployed hundreds of troops to Helmand in a bid to help Afghan security forces in their war against Taliban fighters.

Civilian casualties from both American and Afghan air strikes increased dramatically last year, according to the UN's most recent report on threats to civilians.

At least 891 civilians were killed or injured in 2016, a figure highest in areas outside of Kabul.</s>UN inquiry concludes air strikes in Helmand's Sangin district killed at least 18 civilians, mostly women and children.

Civilians, mostly women and children, were killed last week in air raids by NATO forces in Afghanistan's Helmand province, an initial United Nations inquiry suggested.

On Thursday and Friday as many as 18 civilians died in air strikes in Helmand's Sangin district, according to a UN statement released on Sunday.

The UN said the strikes had been conducted by "international military forces," but only US aircraft have been involved in recent coalition strikes, according to US military officials.

Other US military officials said their aircraft have conducted around 30 air raids in Helmand in the past week. NATO's Resolute Support mission has initiated an inquiry into the incident.

"We are investigating the allegations and working diligently to determine whether civilians were killed or injured as a result of US air strikes," Brigadier General Charles Cleveland, a US army spokesman in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

READ MORE: UN to probe US air raid that killed women and children

But Afghan officials and local residents have given a different toll of 22 civilians killed during the joint operation carried out by US and Afghan forces.

The presidential envoy for security in Helmand, Jabar Qahraman, said the raid against Taliban fighters in the Sangin district killed 13 people from one family and nine from another.

The NATO-led military mission has deployed hundreds of troops to Helmand in a bid to help Afghan security forces in their war against Taliban fighters.

Civilian casualties from both American and Afghan air strikes increased dramatically last year, according to the UN's most recent report on threats to civilians.

At least 891 civlians were killed or injured in 2016, a figure highest in areas outside of Kabul.</s>KABUL: At least 18 civilians were killed last week in airstrikes by international forces in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, an initial United Nations inquiry has concluded.

American military officials say their aircraft have conducted around 30 air strikes in Helmand in the past week. A spokesman said they were looking into the inquiry. "We are investigating the allegations and working diligently to determine whether civilians were killed or injured as a result of US airstrikes," said Brigadier General Charles Cleveland.

The Nato-led military mission has deployed hundreds of troops to Helmand in a bid to help Afghan security forces in their war against Taliban insurgents. American aircraft and special forces have also provided combat support, with at least one US soldier wounded in recent fighting. On Thursday and Friday air strikes in Helmand’s Sangin district killed as many as 18 civilians, mostly women and children, according to a UN statement released on Sunday.

The UN said the strikes had been conducted by "international military forces," but only US aircraft have been involved in recent coalition strikes, according to military officials. Family members of victims at the regional hospital in Helmand’s capital, Lashkar Gah, demanded explanations. "How could women and children be Taliban?" Majnoon, a resident of Sangin, who said 11 people were killed in his brother´s house in a strike on Thursday, told Reuters.

Mullah Qasem, a local leader in Sangin, said the government wanted justice for the families of the victims. The UN said a Taliban suicide bomber also killed at least seven civilians in an attack in Lashkar Gah on Saturday. Civilian casualties from both American and Afghan air strikes increased dramatically last year, according to the UN’s most recent report on threats to civilians.

Coalition airstrikes killed 18 Afghan civilians: UN inquiry was posted in Top Story of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on February 13, 2017 and was last updated on February 13, 2017. This news story is related to Print/185966-Coalition-airstrikes-killed-18-Afghan-civilians-UN-inquiry/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Coalition airstrikes killed 18 Afghan civilians: UN inquiry" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/185966-Coalition-airstrikes-killed-18-Afghan-civilians-UN-inquiry.</s>UN inquiry concludes air strikes in Helmand's Sangin district killed at least 18 civilians, mostly women and children.

Civilians, mostly women and children, were killed last week in air raids by NATO forces in Afghanistan's Helmand province, an initial United Nations inquiry suggested.

The UN said the strikes had been conducted by "international military forces," but only US aircraft have been involved in recent coalition strikes, according to US military officials.

Civilian casualties from both American and Afghan air strikes increased dramatically last year, according to the UN's most recent report on threats to civilians. 

 

 At least 891 civlians were killed or injured in 2016, a figure highest in areas outside of Kabul.</s>The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has raised serious concerns over coalition air strikes in Helmand province and said that at least 18 civilians may have been killed in the raids. American military officials confirmed that they had carried out at least 30 air strikes in the province last week.

Brigadier General Charles Cleveland, the spokesperson for the international coalition said, "We are investigating the allegations and working diligently to determine whether civilians were killed or injured as a result of US air strikes."

However, it is unclear whether the civilians were killed in US authorised air strikes.

On Sunday (12 February), the UN said in a statement: "On 9 and 10 February, international military forces conducted airstrikes in Helmand's Sangin district reportedly targeting anti-government elements. [The UN's] initial enquiries suggest that the airstrikes killed at least 18 civilians, nearly all women and children."

Escalating violence in the region has been causing concerns and according to the UN, civilian casualties have increased drastically over the past week. At least seven civilians were killed by an alleged Taliban suicide bomber in an attack in Lashkar Gah on 11 February.

Najeeb Danesh, the spokesperson for Afghanistan's defence ministry said that a delegation from the ministry was probing the issue.

Family members of the victims at a hospital in the province's capital Lashkar Gah have demanded an explanation over the air strikes. "How could women and children be Taliban?" a resident of Sangin district identified only as Majnoon was quoted as saying by Reuters. He added that 11 people were killed at his brother's house in an air raid on 9 February.

Another resident Haji Ahmand told the Guardian: "What the Americans are doing in Helmand is not right. They target the locals instead of [the] Taliban. The Taliban are far from my brother's house. We would prefer if the Americans would just leave us alone."

Hundreds of troops have been deployed in Helmand province by Nato to help Afghan forces in their battle against the Taliban. Additional support is provided by the US Special Forces.</s>KABUL: At least 18 civilians were killed last week in air strikes by international forces in Afghanistan's Helmand province, an initial United Nations inquiry has concluded.

American military officials say their aircraft have conducted around 30 air strikes in Helmand in the past week. A spokesman said they were looking into the inquiry.

"We are investigating the allegations and working diligently to determine whether civilians were killed or injured as a result of US air strikes," said Brigadier General Charles Cleveland.

The NATO-led military mission has deployed hundreds of troops to Helmand in a bid to help Afghan security forces in their war against Taliban insurgents.

American aircraft and special forces have also provided combat support, with at least one US soldier wounded in recent fighting.

On Thursday and Friday air strikes in Helmand's Sangin district killed as many as 18 civilians, mostly women and children, according to a UN statement released on Sunday.

The UN said the strikes had been conducted by "international military forces," but only US aircraft have been involved in recent coalition strikes, according to military officials.

Family members of victims at the regional hospital in Helmand's capital, Lashkar Gah, demanded explanations.

"How could women and children be Taliban?" Majnoon, a resident of Sangin, who said 11 people were killed in his brother's house in a strike on Thursday, told Reuters.

Mullah Qasem, a local leader in Sangin, said the government wanted justice for the families of the victims.

The UN said a Taliban suicide bomber also killed at least seven civilians in an attack in Lashkar Gah on Saturday.

"(The UN) reiterates the need for all parties to the conflict to strictly adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law to take all feasible measures to protect civilians from harm," the statement said.

Civilian casualties from both American and Afghan air strikes increased dramatically last year, according to the UN's most recent report on threats to civilians.</s>The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UANAMA) says preliminary enquiries suggest at least 18 civilians were killed in Helmand airstrikes.

Expressing grave concerns at the recent escalation of violence in Helmand province, UNAMA said at least 25 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed and injured many more.

“On 9 and 10 February, International Military Forces conducted airstrikes in Helmand’s Sangin District reportedly targeting Anti-Government Elements. UNAMA’s initial enquiries suggest that the airstrikes killed at least 18 civilians, nearly all women and children. UNAMA notes that Resolute Support has initiated an investigation into the incident,” the UN mission said in a statement.

The statement further added “On 11 February, Taliban conducted a suicide attack targeting Afghan National Army soldiers outside of Kabul Bank in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand. The attack killed at least seven civilians, and at least as many were injured, mainly child vendors outside the bank.”

According to UNAMA, the people of Helmand have suffered greatly due to the armed conflict in Afghanistan, with 891 civilians killed or injured during 2016. This figure was the highest in the country in 2016 outside of Kabul.

“UNAMA reiterates the need for all parties to the conflict to strictly adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law to take all feasible measures to protect civilians from harm,” the statement added.

Follow Khaama Press (KP) | Afghan News Agency on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook. Stay updated via RSS</s>A United Nations investigation has determined that at least 18 civilians have been killed by international coalition airstrikes in Afghanistan over the past week.

Air raids on Thursday and Friday around Sangin district in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, have killed at least 18 civilians, most of them women and children, the UN inquiry found. Survivors are currently being treated at a hospital in Lashkar Gah, the regional capital.

The American military says it has conducted 30 airstrikes around Helmand in the last week, and it will look into the UN’s allegations.

"We are investigating the allegations and working diligently to determine whether civilians were killed or injured as a result of US air strikes," said Brigadier General Charles Cleveland, as cited by Reuters.

While the UN statement said that the allegedly deadly strikes had been conducted by "international military forces," only US aircraft had been involved in recent military operations in the region, Reuters reported, citing military officials.

The NATO-led military mission in Helmand has been providing support to local security forces in fighting against Taliban insurgents, Reuters said, adding that US aircraft had been deployed to provide combat support.

Nearly 900 civilians were killed or injured in Helmand Province last year, the UN said, adding that this figure "was the highest in the country in 2016 outside of Kabul."

Earlier this week, a US military commander suggested that the NATO-led force in Afghanistan should expand its presence, as he felt the troops assisting Kabul in tackling militant insurgents were "a few thousand" soldiers short. The Afghan Defense Ministry said it supported "any decision taken between the Afghan and American governments" on the matter, adding that expansion of the international military presence would be a "good step."

The Taliban has opposed the planned move, saying additional foreign troops in Afghanistan would bring "nothing more than suffering and more casualties," Reuters reported.</s>At least 26 civilians, most of them women and children, were killed in Afghanistan's Helmand province last week, most of them victims of airstrikes conducted by international forces, a UN relief organization said Sunday.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said it "expresses its grave concern" over the deaths.

Eighteen of the civilians, "nearly all women and children," were killed in Helmand's Sangin District amid airstrikes targeting "anti-government elements," UNAMA said.

The NATO-led Resolute Support Mission has begun an investigation into the incident, UNAMA said.

NATO bills the mission as an effort "to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces and institutions." It consists of more than 13,000 troops, more than half of which come from the United States

Helmand, in southern Afghanistan, had 891 civilian deaths or injuries last year, the highest total in the country outside of Kabul, UNAMA said. UNAMA also cited Saturday's Taliban suicide car bombing in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, that killed at least eight people and injured at least 19 others. Many of the casualties were child vendors.</s>(CNN) -- At least 26 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed in violence last week In Afghanistan's Helmand province, a UN relief organization says.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said it "expresses its grave concern" over the deaths.

Helmand, in southern Afghanistan, had 891 civilian deaths or injuries last year, the highest total in the country outside of Kabul, UNAMA said.

On Thursday and Friday, international military forces conducted airstrikes in the Sangin District, reportedly targeting anti-government elements. UNAMA said at least 18 civilians died and a NATO-led mission called Resolute Support has begun an investigation.

UNAMA also cited Saturday's Taliban suicide car bombing in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, that killed at least eight people and injured at least 19 others. Many of the casualties were child vendors.
According to a United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan inquiry, 18 civilians in Helmand Province were killed in coalition air raids last Thursday and Friday, with locals and Afghan officials claiming that the death toll is higher.