Afghans: NATO Strike Hit Wedding, Killed 18 Civilians

A NATO airstrike hit a wedding in Afghanistan's volatile Baraki Barak district and killed 18 civilians, Afghan officials and villagers said today, and they offered bodies as proof of their story. An AP photographer saw villagers pile the corpses of seven children, five women, and six men into vans. They planned to drive the bodies to the capital of Logar province in protest.

NATO officials counter that the strike targeted a Taliban leader, and say that they know of only two light injuries to civilians. "During the operation, insurgents attacked the Afghan and coalition troops with small-arms fire and a grenade," the coalition said in a statement. "The security force returned fire and requested a precision strike." But local officials tell al-Jazeera that the strike targeted a tribal elder who was surrounded by his family. They said six armed Taliban fighters nearby were also killed. (More NATO stories.)