Afghan President Hamid Karzai has condemned a US-led coalition air strike that the government says killed 76 civilians, most of them women and children.
The Interior Ministry said coalition forces bombarded the Azizabad area of Shindand district yesterday afternoon, killing 76 civilians, including nineteen women, seven men and the rest children under the age of 15.
Civilian deaths in military operations are an emotive issue for Afghans, many of whom feel international forces take too little care when launching air strikes, undermining support for the presence of foreign troops.
The US military says only armed Taliban militants were killed in yesterday's attack.
Nearly 700 civilians were killed in the first six months of this year, 255 of them by Afghan government and international troops, the rest by Taliban militants.
"Afghan President Hamid Karzai strongly condemns the uncoordinated air strike by coalition forces in Shindand district of Herat province which resulted in the death of at least 70 people including women and children," the president's office said in a statement.
The US military said it carried out an air strike in the district targeting a known Taliban commander yesterday morning after Afghan and coalition forces came under attack.
Thirty militants, including a Taliban commander, were killed in the strike and only two civilians had been wounded, the US military said.
The US military said it was aware of allegations of civilian casualties but said those killed were militants.
"All allegations of civilian casualties are taken very seriously. Coalition forces make every effort to prevent the injury or loss of innocent lives," the US military said in a statement.