The government in Afghanistan has condemned the killing of up to 17 civilians in a US airstrike last Friday in the Kunar province.
"The president is extremely saddened and disturbed," President Hamid Karzai's chief of staff said. "There is no way . . . the killing of civilians can be justified. . . . It's the terrorists we are fighting. It's not our people who should suffer."
A government team is on its way to the site to investigate the bombing.
The Kunar provincial governor said an initial strike destroyed a house, and as villagers gathered to look at the damage, a US warplane dropped a second bomb on the same target, killing 17 of them, including three women and children.
He said it was unclear who was killed in the initial attack in the tiny village of Chechal.
The US military claimed the attack was carried out "with precision-guided munitions that resulted in the deaths of an unknown number of enemy terrorists and noncombatants."
"The targeted compound was a known operating base for terrorist attacks in Kunar province as well as a base for a medium-level terrorist leader," it said.
The statement added US forces "regret the loss of innocent lives and follow stringent rules of engagement specifically to ensure that noncombatants are safeguarded."
The civilians are the latest victims in a spate of violence that has left about 700 people dead and threatened to sabotage three years of progress toward peace. Afghan officials insist the violence will not disrupt landmark legislative elections timetabled for September.