JALALABAD (PAN ): As many as 112 people were killed in an airstrike by NATO -led troops in the remote eastern province of Nuristan, a senior official said on Saturday.

Twenty-two policemen, 20, civilians and 70 Taliban fighters were among the dead, Governor Jamaluddin Badr told Pajhwok Afghan News, quoting a probe into the incidents.

Foreign soldiers conducted the air raid on Thursday to drive insurgents from Doab district, he said, adding Afghan forces recaptured the town late on Thursday night.

Up to 40 people, including district's administrative head and police chief, were wounded, Badr added. Both officials were discharged from hospital after receiving treatment.

Despite efforts, the ministries of defence and interior could not be reached for comments on civilian and police casualties.

Interior ministry spokesman Zmaray Bashari said that since Doab was a remote district, where walkie-talkies did not work, they could not contact local officials for information on the incident.

He added a team had been dispatched to the district to collect information about the fatalities. NATO-led soldiers have confirmed the airstrike, but denied civilian casualties.

frm/mud