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Airstrike in Afghanistan kills 11 members of one family

22 March 2020 19:36 (UTC +04:00)

An airstrike in Afghanistan's northern province of Kunduz killed 11 members of one family, eyewitnesses told Sputnik on Sunday, APA reports citing Sputnik.

According to the eyewitnesses, an airstrike hit the Yakatot area of Kunduz Imam Sahib district last night and killed children and women among others.

Afghan forces have not commented on the incident so far.

In addition, there was a severe fight in the are as a result of Taliban* attacks on security checkpoints in Kunduz's districts of Dasht-e-Archi, Khan Abad and Imam Sahib last night, Kunduz police spokesman Hajarullah Akbari told Sputnik.

"During the clashes, 24 armed Taliban were killed and 19 others were injured, including a Taliban group leader, Qari Hafiz", Akbari said, adding that two security forces were killed and four others were wounded.

Only one child of the family, Yar Mohammad, survived the attack.

The attack triggered a strong backlash among the residents of the district, as innocent civilians fell victim to the attack aimed to eliminate Taliban militants.

"We want punishment [for the killers]. Our voice should be heard. Who gives information about civilian houses to be attacked, we will ask", Shaw Nawaz, another member of the family, said.

In early March, the Taliban said that, despite the signing of the peace deal with Washington, it would further attack the Afghan forces in the wake of Kabul's refusal to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners.

Armed clashes continue in Afghanistan despite the signing of a peace deal between the US and Taliban on 29 February that guaranteed the withdrawal of US troops from the country, in exchange for the militant organisation’s agreement to enter into talks with the Afghan government. The Taliban also must ensure that the country does not become a safe haven for terrorists. The intra-Afghan talks were scheduled to begin on March 10, but this did not happen due to Kabul-Taliban differences over the prisoner release precondition.