Jane Onyanga-Omara

USA TODAY

U.S. troops acted in self-defense when they opened fire on homes in Afghanistan in a battle that killed 33 civilians, a U.S. military investigation has found.

Twenty-seven civilians were wounded in the incident, in the village of Boz in Kunduz province in the north of the country on Nov. 2-3.

The investigation followed media reports that the fighting, which included airstrikes called in to support the Afghan and U.S. troops, killed members of the public including children, women and elderly men.

Two American soldiers and three Afghan Army commandos were also killed in the battle.

The U.S. military said Thursday that Afghan forces supported by U.S. troops entered the village and were fired on by Taliban fighters from a number of civilian buildings. It said the troops returned fire and requested aerial support from U.S. aircraft.

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The operation was aimed at capturing two Taliban commanders behind violence in Kunduz in October that saw Taliban fighters re-enter Kunduz city after they were expelled in 2015 after briefly capturing it.

"Regardless of the circumstances, I deeply regret the loss of innocent lives," said Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. Forces– Afghanistan in a statement.

The U.S. military said its investigation concluded that its forces acted in self-defense and that the aircraft used the minimum force required to protect the troops. It said the civilians killed were likely to have been in the buildings and were not seen during the battle.

“On this occasion the Taliban chose to hide amongst civilians and then attacked Afghan and U.S. forces,” Nicholson said.

“I wish to assure President (Ashraf) Ghani and the people of Afghanistan that we will take all possible measures to protect Afghan civilians. We will continue to assist the Afghan security forces in their efforts to defend their country,” he added.

The U.S. military said that no further action will be taken.