Afghan officials say a U.S.-led coalition air strike has killed 22 civilians in eastern Afghanistan.District chief Zia-ul-Rehman told reporters the attack happened Friday on a road in the remote district of Nuristan province, near the Pakistani border. He said the civilians were leaving the area, when their vehicles were bombed.
In a statement Friday, the U.S.-led coalition confirmed the air raid but denied any civilians had been killed. The coalition says the air strike was in response to a militant attack on a base and that militants - not civilians - were killed in the air raid.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called on foreign troops to minimize civilian casualties. The United Nations says close to 700 civilians have been killed so far this year, after being caught in crossfire between Taliban insurgents and foreign forces.