Coalition Attack Kills 50 in Afghan Town

Around 50 people died in an air strike launched Monday by U.S.-led coalition forces against an Afghan village suspected of harboring Taliban militants.

The village in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province was believed to be inhabited by active members of the Taliban network who had conducted attacks against coalition and Afghan forces, a military statement said.

A U.S. military spokesman said that 50 Taliban were killed in the attack early Monday morning.

The BBC received reports that 30 civilians died in the attack and 50 others were injured.

The attack was staged in the same area where Taliban clashed with Afghan security forces last week. As many as 100 people died in that intense battle which was labeled as the fiercest fighting since 2001.