An Afghan official says an airstrike on a Taliban training camp in northern Afghanistan killed at least 20 insurgents and wounded many more on Monday, while the Taliban said the airstrike hit a religious school during a graduation ceremony, killing dozens of civilians. Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry’s Deputy Spokesman Mohammad Radmanish said that the Afghan Air Force did not target civilians but had targeted a gathering of Taliban members and their commanders in Kunduz airstrike. Around 150 religious scholars and civilians - most of them children - were among the dead and wounded, the group added. Recent figures from the United Nations showed a rise in the number of civilian casualties caused by air strikes even while the total number of civilian casualties had declined. Some witnesses and local officials said the strike hit a mosque or madrassa where a graduation ceremony was taking place, and dozens of civilians were killed and wounded.
Eyewitnesses and officials say an Afghan airstrike targeted a madrasa being used as a meeting place by the Taliban in Kunduz during a graduation ceremony, with casualties including civilians.