Seven suspected al-Qaida members were killed in a clash in Afghanistan on Thursday, the U.S. military said.
“Seven suspected al-Qaida facilitators were killed today when Afghan and coalition forces conducted an operation on a compound housing suspected terrorists,” the U.S. military said in a statement.
It did not identify any of those killed in the clash in the eastern province of Kunar or elaborate on what it meant by “facilitators”.
Provincial Afghan officials had earlier said seven civilians were killed in a pre-dawn air strike on a house in the area.
Kunar, where the clash occurred, is near the border with Pakistan and the Taliban and their Islamic allies, including members of the al-Qaida network, have been active there since U.S.-led troops overthrew the Taliban in 2001.