Ghani
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
December 05, 2015
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has promised an investigation into a mortar attack near a mosque that killed eight civilians.
Two civilians were also wounded in the incident in a district south of Kabul on December 4.
Ghani on December 5 said the incident occurred during an Afghan operation in the Sayedabad district of Maidan Wardak Province, an area with a heavy Taliban presence.
Ghani expressed his condolences and said a team from the Defense Ministry would be sent to the area to investigate.
Local officials said army mortar shells fell near a mosque, killing eight civilians and wounding two others, while the Taliban said 10 people gathered around a fire in front of the mosque were killed and eight wounded in the attack.
According to United Nations figures, nearly 5,000 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the first half of the year, the highest number since the UN began keeping records in 2009, as fighting has intensified across the country.
Based on reporting by Reuters