UN: At least 30 children killed in 1 month

KABUL » At least 30 children were among those killed in government airstrikes in northern Afghanistan last month, a U.N. report said Monday, raising questions about official claims that the attack targeted Taliban insurgents.

The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, said a total of at least 36 people were killed — offering the first comprehensive casualty figures for the April 2 attack in Kunduz province, a stronghold of Taliban forces.

The Afghan government has acknowledged some civilian deaths in the attack but has not given a figure or said how many suspected Taliban fighters were killed. Afghan officials had no immediate comment on the U.N. report.

The report said that at least 30 of the 36 fatalities were children at what it described as an all-male religious ceremony in the Dasht-e-Archi district attended by men and children younger than 10. It said 71 people were wounded in the attack, including 51 children, according to accounts from more than 90 people, including victims, witnesses and government officials.

The UNAMA team said it could not make a definitive judgment on government claims that the attack, apparently by helicopter gunships, hit mainly Taliban militants.

Witnesses told UNAMA that unarmed members of the Taliban were among the attendees, which was not uncommon for gatherings in the area, the report said.