The US forces in Afghanistan have admitted that a drone attack that killed at least thirty pine nut farmers in Nangarhar province on Thursday was conducted by them. At least forty others were injured in the attack in Wazir Tangi area of Khogyani district that was previously attributed to the West-backed Afghan government.
A spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, Colonel Sonny Leggett, confirmed that the drone attack was conducted by the US with the intention of destroying a hideout used by the Islamic State terrorist group.
Malik Rahat Gul, a tribal elder in Wazir Tangi, said the air raid happened at a time when tired workers, mainly daily wage earners, had gathered near their tent after harvesting pine nuts in a field nearby.
Hundreds of people have been killed in the past several weeks, as the West-backed government forces and Taliban fighters have stepped up attacks since a peace deal between the armed group and the United States collapsed earlier this month.
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