Some residents of Badakhshan province, in the north-east of Afghanistan, claimed US forces have conducted an airstrike in Faizabad City, the center of the province. The residents said the bomb landed close to civilian houses, police headquarters and governor’ office.

According to the residents, the airstrike was conducted on Thursday evening.

They said insurgents did not have any activity in the area where the airstrike was carried out.

“We were leaving the mosque in the evening prayer when we heard a loud voice and I saw that people were shouting,” said Gada Mohammad, a resident of Faizabad City.

“The airstrike damaged civilian houses. Why government and US forces do not target the Taliban in Wardooj (district)? Why they conducted the airstrike here?” asked Mirullah, a resident of Faizabad.

Badakhshan Provincial Council said foreign forces also conducted airstrikes in Kishm district to target militants.

“The Resolute Support aircrafts bombarded both Faizabad City and Kishm district’s center. One bomb landed close to Jolghar (area) which is near the provincial police headquarters and other landed close to center of Kishm district. No doubt, it created fear among residents of Faizabad City and Kishm district. It shows that there was no coordination,” Abdullah Naji Nazari, member of Badakhshan Provincial Council, told TOLOnews.

Meanwhile, Badakhshan governor Ahmad Faisal Begzad said the Resolute Support officials have said the airstrike was carried out ‘mistakenly’.

“The foreign forces should support our security forces but what happened yesterday (Thursday) was a mistake which has been admitted by them (foreign forces) in which they dropped bombs in the outskirts of Faizabad City and the outskirts of Kishm district’s center,” he told TOLOnews.  

“We asked them (foreign forces) to be accurate in their operations,” he added.