President Ashraf Ghani in a statement in a statement on Saturday said there are 13 Afghan nationals among the victims of the Ukrainian jetliner crash in Iran in which 176 people on board were killed.  

“Regretfully, there are 13 Afghan nationals among the victims of the Ukrainian airlines plane crash. I, hereby, express my deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and friends of the victims. Our hearts go out to them during this tragic time of grievances,” Ghani said in a statement. 

President Ghani said he has directed government institutions to look for information about the relatives and family members of the victims living in Afghanistan to provide them with required support.

This comes as Iran on Saturday admitted that it has “unintentionally” shot down the Ukrainian jetliner, killing all 176 aboard.

The statement came Saturday morning and blamed “human error” for the shootdown.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a tweet said that an “Armed Forces’ internal investigation has concluded that regrettably, missiles fired due to human error caused the horrific crash of the Ukrainian plane and death of 176 innocent people.”

This "great tragedy" and "unforgivable mistake" are being investigated, he said in a tweet. 

“The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake. My thoughts and prayers go to all the mourning families. I offer my sincerest condolences,” he added.