TALUQAN (SW) – Local officials in Takhar have said at least 12 children were killed in an airstrike on a religious school in the province.
Mohammad Javad Hijri, spokesman for the governor of Takhar, confirmed the news to Salam Watandar on Thursday. He confirmed that the airstrike was carried out by the security forces in the Hazara Qarluq area of Taloqan, the capital of the province. According to him, 12 children were killed and 14 others were injured in the incident.
The spokesman for the Takhar governor said the air force wanted to target the Taliban in the Masjid Sefid area of Baharak district here after a deadly Taliban attack on security forces on Tuesday that left more than 50 security personnel, including the security chief of the Takhar police command, killed.
According to Mohammad Azam Afzali, secretary of the Takhar provincial council, the Imam at the religious school also been killed in the airstrike.
But, a source in Takhar province told Salam Watandar that 12 children were killed and 18 others were injured in the airstrike. According to the source, all those killed and wounded in the attack are children of the members of anti-Taliban local police.
Meanwhile, Amrullah Saleh, the first vice president, has denied reports about children being killed in the airstrike. In a Facebook post, Saleh called the news of the killing of children at a school in Takhar province as ‘baseless’. “Those who killed our forces yesterday were killed”, he said adding “undeniable evidence” are available to back his claim.
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