NATO’s force in Afghanistan said around 70 people were killed in raids targeting the Taliban this week but was still unsure how many were civilians after reports that scores of ordinary people died. The International Security Assistance Force admitted in a statement late on Friday that a “number of civilians were killed along with a large number of insurgents” in the October 24 air strike in Kandahar province. “ISAF believes that around 70 individuals were killed,” the statement said. “We are satisfied that we identified and targeted a group of insurgents, but it is uncertain how many civilians were among the dead. In addition, it is unclear how many of the civilians were killed as a result of insurgent fire.”Residents of the Panjwayi area have said between 60 and 85 civilians were killed in the late-night bombing raid, which started on the second day of Eid. Some have said none of the dead were Taliban, but ISAF has said it believed 48 were militants, including from a group that attacked a base.
On Friday it said 12 of the dead were civilians, while the police put the figure at about 25, with a presidential-appointed commission and a separate ISAF and Defence Ministry team investigating the incident.