U.S. Military Acknowledges 33 Afghan Civilian Deaths In November Incident

Afghans in Kunduz protest against civilian casualties in November.

The U.S. military has said that its forces killed 33 Afghan civilians during an exchange of fire with Taliban fighters in November.

In a statement issued on January 12, the military called the incident regrettable and said it was caused because the militants were "using civilian housing as firing positions."

Twenty-seven civilians were killed in the incident, which took place in the village of Boz in Kunduz Province.

The killed included children. Some of the civilians were believed to have been relatives of the Taliban fighters.

At the time, the incident caused an uproar in Afghanistan and the head of the UN mission to the country said that "the loss of civilian life is unacceptable and undermines efforts towards building peace and stability in Afghanistan."

Based on reporting by AP and dpa