UN probes casualty claims from US strikes in Afghanistan

The UN's Afghanistan mission said Monday it was probing allegations of civilian casualties resulting from US air strikes against purported drug-making facilities in western Afghanistan.

The allegations centre on strikes conducted earlier this month in Farah and Nimroz provinces, where dozens of structures said to have been used to produce heroin and other illegal drugs were destroyed.

According to interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi, "150 Taliban terrorists were killed, 40 wounded" in the Farah operations.

But the Taliban have denied the facilities were used for drugs and claimed "up to 100" civilians were killed.

In a statement, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said it was "actively looking into allegations of civilian casualties resulting from International Military Forces' aerial operations in Farah and Nimroz provinces against reported drug manufacturing facilities".

"The locations are not easily accessible and there are numerous operational ...