Afghan forces kill civilians in ground raid and air strike

KABUL: Afghan forces killed at least six civilians in ground and air operations on Thursday in eastern Nangarhar province, which has witnessed heavy fighting in the last two weeks, a spokesman for the provincial governor´s office said. The attacks in the Khogyani district of the province also wounded four civilians, spokesman Ataullah Khogyani said. An Afghan military official said an investigation was under way to determine if and how the operation resulted in civilian casualties. Both Taliban and Islamic State militants are active in eastern Afghanistan. “A farmer and a security guard were among the dead. A mosque and 21 vehicles were damaged during the bombing,” Khogyani said. Earlier this week, gunmen attacked an education department office in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad and held out against security forces for four hours before the assault ended with at least 10 people killed.