Civilians dead in Nato air raids

As many as 300 people have been reported killed or wounded in Nato-led air strikes in southern Afghanistan. A spokesman for US-led occupation forces said late on Thursday that the raids in Helmand province had targeted a meeting of Taliban commanders but local officials said about 50 civilians were among the casualties. Residents told journalists women and children were among up to 300 people killed in the raids

Mohammad Hussein Andiwal, Helmand puppet police "chief", confirmed to Reuters news agency that there were "heavy bombardments" in the area.

"We have heard of heavy casualties too and have sent a team to investigate this," he said.

At least 20 wounded civilians had been brought to a main hospital in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand province, he said.

In the hospital, Shokhi Khan, a relative of one of the wounded, said several hundred civilians were killed or wounded in the strikes.

He said people had gathered for picnics and to go to a shrine in Baghran district north of Lashkar Gah on Thursday when the raids started.

Haji Hakim Jan, 27, said he lost four of his brothers in the attack.

"I had another brother of mine and an eight-year-old sister wounded in the bombing," he said

The US occupation military said in a statement that the air raid had been conducted against two "notorious Taliban commanders" holding a meeting in a remote area of the Baghran district.

"During a sizeable meeting of senior Taliban commanders, coalition forces employed precision guided munitions on their location after ensuring there were no innocent Afghans in the surrounding area," a statement said.  It added that the fate of the pair was unknown.

The Nato-led occupation force which works alongside the US-led coalition said the air strike was only called after  multiple sources confirmed that several Taliban leaders and their followers were at the site.

Some residents and an official said the bombings occurred as a large crowd of people had gathered to watch an execution being carried out by the Taliban movement.

The karzay so call "defence ministry" said several Taliban leaders including Mansour Dadullah, the group's senior commander in the south, were attending the execution of men accused of spying for the karzay puppet "government".

A purported Taliban spokesman denied there had been a public execution and said those killed were all civilians attending a ceremony at a shrine.

Agencies