Conflicting claims over civilian deaths in U.S. strikes

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan — Air strikes carried out by the U.S. military killed at least 13 civilians Saturday in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz, according to residents and officials in the area, a difficult battleground for both Afghan and American forces.

The air strikes took place in the Chardara district, where Afghan commandos, often advised by the U.S. military and supported by American air power, had been carrying out operations for several days.

But Ahmad Saved Salem, a spokesman for the Afghan commandos, denied any civilians had been killed in their operations and said the U.S. air strikes had killed 25 Taliban fighters.

“Over the past three days of our operations in the village, we haven’t seen a single civilian,” Saleem said. “We have video of the eight people killed in the morning strikes, and all of them were armed.”

After overnight air strikes against the Taliban, several residents said the fighters forced them in the morning to help them retrieve the bodies of their fighters from the rubble, at which point the air strikes resumed.

Capt. Tom Gresback, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, said they were aware of the claims and were looking into them.

Afghan and American forces have struggled to clear the city of Kunduz and the surrounding area after the Taliban briefly overran the city twice in the past two years.

Following the first fall of the city, in 2015, U.S. gunships mistakenly targeted a Doctors Without Borders hospital in the province, killing 42 people and destroying much of the hospital. Then last year, U.S. aircraft were involved in another deadly episode involving civilians, killing 33.

U.S. air strikes have more than doubled since President Trump announced in August a new strategy for Afghanistan. According to the U.S. Air Force, American aircraft dropped about 900 munitions in August and September, compared to about 260 for the same period last year.

Afghan officials have praised the strikes, saying they have helped fend off Taliban advances and decreased the risk that militants would take over cities and districts, but others have said the civilian toll from the strikes is unacceptably high.