UN condemns killing of 15 civilians in US drone strike

The UN mission in Afghanistan has on Friday condemned the killing of not less than fifteen civilians in a U.S. drone strike in the eastern province of Nangarhar.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in Kabul that it “condemned the killing of at least 15 civilian men and the injuring of at least 13 others, including at least one boy, in the strike.”

He said that the unmanned drone was reportedly targeting members of the Islamic State extremist group on Wednesday, but resulted in several civilian casualties.

The assistant mission said that the villagers had gathered to celebrate the return of a tribal elder from the Hajj pilgrimage and were reportedly sleeping in a guesthouse of the elder when the airstrike occurred.

He said there were reports by the government that Islamic State members also died in the attack.

He, however, called on the Afghan government and international military forces to launch an independent investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has acknowledged conducting the airstrike but said it was still reviewing all materials related to the incident.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nangarhar province has been a focus for Islamic State activity since 2015.