Afghan officials have announced on Sunday, September 8, that a NATO airstrike has killed 15 people-and that nine of them were women and children. The missiles were dropped onto on eastern province where the Taliban are said to be numerous.

NATO has said that 10 enemy forces have died in the strike, saying it had received no reports of civilian deaths. NATO spokesperson 1^st Lt. AnnMarie Annicelli confirmed that they had carried out a "precision strike" that ended up killing 10 militant forces, but deny that the reports include any civilian deaths. She gave no immediate details on what exactly had prompted the airstrike, or who they were targeting, but said that NATO were still in the process of investigating, adding that they take the matter of civilian deaths "very seriously."

Civilians gravely affected by NATO operations have long been a crucial factor between the Afghan government and the US-led troops, and has long been the cause of animosity for that the Afghans feel for the armed foreign forces. Conflicting accounts add to the confusion, with who or how many being numbers thrown in the air, especially whenever dangerous and remote regions are involved.

This most recent airstrike occurred in the Watapur district of Kunar, a province along the border of Pakistan. It is said to be crawling with militants, with several Arab and foreign insurgents operating there alongside the Taliban, several of them suspected of being linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Kunar province chief Abdul Habib Sayed Khaili released a statement that the airstrike hit a pickup truck carrying women and children headed to Qoro village, after three Arab and three Afghan militants boarded it, with Watapur District chief Zalmai Yousefi confirming the statement. Some reports have allegedly called it a drone strike, but officials have been unable to confirm.

US airstrikes have infuriated Afghans , leading President Hamid Karzai to ban Afghan troops from requesting NATO airstrikes in residential areas.

US forces are expected to make a full exit by 2014, but their assistance with the airstrikes are said to be crucial to the operations against the Taliban.