Coalition air strikes kill 76 Afghan civilians: govt

An operation by international forces in western Afghanistan on Friday killed 76 civilians, mostly women and children, the Afghan interior ministry said. "Seventy-six people, all civilians and most of them women and children, were martyred during the operation by coalition forces in Shindand district of Herat province," said a statement from the interior ministry. The ministry said it had opened an investigation into the incident. The US-led coalition confirmed it had carried out an operation in the area but said only 30 Taliban were killed.