At least eight civilians were killed in an airstrike in the eastern province of Logar which was carried out by Afghan forces to target militants, a senior official from the province said.

The airstrike was carried out in Baraki Barak district on Sunday night, the district governor of Baraki Barak said on Monday.

He said that six other civilians were wounded in the airstrike which reportedly targeted two houses in Kochian village in Baraki Barak district.

He said that three women are among those wounded in the airstrike.

The district governor said that the wounded taken to a provincial hospital for treatment.

An MP from Logar, Salim Naeemi, said that nine civilians, including six children, were killed in the airstrike.

The ministries of Defense and Interior have not commented on the report so far.

Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan

On July 15, a senior official of Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said that 596 civilians were killed and 1,892 others wounded in clashes between government forces and the Taliban and other attacks by militants in Afghanistan since the beginning of the current solar year which coincides with March 21, 2019.

The CEO of the AIHRC, Musa Mahmoodi, told TOLOnews that 733 of the victims are children who have either been killed or wounded in the conflicts during the period.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a quarterly report on April 24 that it has documented high levels of harm to civilians but adds that there has been a 23 percent decrease in overall civilian casualties as compared to the same period last year and is the lowest for a first-quarter since 2013.

The report says the UN documented 1,773 civilian casualties (581 deaths and 1,192 injured), including 582 child casualties (150 deaths and 432 injured) between January 1 and March 31.

In the first quarter of 2018, UNAMA documented 2,305 civilian casualties (799 deaths and 1,506 injured), including 609 child casualties (176 deaths and 433 injured), the report says.

The overall reduction of civilian casualties was driven by a decrease in civilian casualties by suicide improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, the report says.

UNAMA notes the particularly harsh winter conditions during the first three months of the year, which may have contributed to this trend, the report says.

It is unclear whether the decrease in civilian casualties was influenced by any measures taken by parties to the conflict to better protect civilians, or by the ongoing talks between parties to the conflict, the report mentions.