KABUL (Reuters) – A United Nations investigation has found that at least 23 Afghan civilians, most of them women and children, were killed in a US airstrike in the southern province of Helmand this week, the latest in a growing toll of casualties from air operations. The US military says it is investigating the incident on Tuesday in which a helicopter hit a compound during a joint operation with US and Afghan forces in Garmsir district in Helmand. Local residents said at least 30 people were killed in the strike ,which came amid a surge in air operations as the US military takes a more aggressive approach to force the Taliban toward peace negotiations. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan noted a sharp increase in civilian casualties from air strikes and said it was particularly concerned that children have been hit. “Initial findings indicate that the vast majority of the victims were women and children,” it said in a statement on the latest incident in Helmand.

Source: Egypt Independent November 30, 2018 08:26 UTC