Afghan officials say NATO warplanes mistakenly killed 14 Afghan construction workers while hunting for Taliban militants in the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan.
The governor of Nuristan province, Tamin Nuristani, says the road workers were sleeping in tents when the aircraft attacked late Monday. He says NATO was acting on reports that militants were in the area.
NATO Brigadier General Carlos Branco said the alliance fired air strikes against entrenched Taliban positions in the area, adding that an investigation is under way.
NATO and other foreign troops in Afghanistan have come under scathing criticism this year for air strikes targeting militants that have seen hundreds of Afghan civilians killed. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has denounced U.S. and NATO troops for the deaths, urging a change in military operating procedure.
A renewed Taliban insurgency has turned this year into the deadliest yet since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban government.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
