A Nato air strike on a Taliban hideout in Afghanistan has killed nine women and children, local officials say.

Numerous women and children were among the 10 killed in a NATO airstrike in Afghanistan, AFP reported, citing Afghan officials.

The air raid struck a Taliban hideout in a remote area of eastern Afghanistan, killing “five children, four women and a man,” Kunar provincial governor Sayed Fazulullah Wahidi told AFP.

Three Taliban commanders, including an Al-Qaeda-linked militant leader called Shahpoor, were also killed in the raid, district governor Abdul Zahir said. Taliban leaders often use villages’ resources such as food and shelter, often through force. It is presently unclear whether the owner of the targeted house was a Taliban member or a civilian.

Four other children were wounded in the raid, according to Wahidi.

The air raid was in support of a ground operation by US-led coalition and Afghan forces. They were targeting a Taliban-controlled valley in a region notorious for insurgency, Zahir said.

“Five children, four women and a man were killed in the raid,” said Kunar provincial governor, Sayed Fazulullah Wahidi.

A spokesman for Nato forces said they were investigating the allegations.

Three Taliban commanders, including a notorious al Qaeda-linked militant leader called Shahpoor, were also killed in the raid, district governor Abdul Zahir said.

The air raid was in support of a ground operation by US-led coalition and Afghan forces in a Taliban-controlled valley in the insurgency-plagued region, Mr Zahir said.

“The civilians were killed in the air raid,” he said.

It is not clear if the owner of the targeted house was a member of the Taliban or a civilian, but the Taliban were visiting when the home was attacked, Mr Zahir added.

Four other children were wounded in the raid, Mr Wahidi said.

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