Afghan protesters claim US strikes kill 5 civilians in east

An Afghan official says that protesters are alleging an airstrike by U.S.-led forces overnight in the country’s east has killed at least five civilians.

Ahmad Khan Serat, spokesman for the provincial police chief, says Sunday dozens of people form Khoja Omari district brought the bodies to local authorities in the regional capital of Ghazni.

Serat said that the provincial governor and police chief will meet today to respond to the protesters’ demands.

The U.S. military in Kabul confirms Sunday that airstrikes in the nearby Khoja Omari and Khogyani districts killed 11 Taliban fighters, but did not confirm civilian casualties.

Afghanistan has seen an upsurge in violence since the collapse of U.S.-Taliban peace talks earlier this month.