US-led forces killed four Afghan civilians, including two women and a boy, in an operation against the insurgents in the southeastern province of Paktika, the US military said today.
But residents told reporters that dozens of civilians were killed in late Tuesday's air attacks in Mata Khan district of the province which lies near the border with Pakistan.
The operation, in which several militants were killed, was aimed at two insurgent leaders, the US military said in its statement, without identifying the pair.
The soldiers detained 12 insurgents in the operation, it said. The Taliban lead the insurgency against the government and foreign troops under the command of Nato and the US military.
Civilian casualties are a highly sensitive issue for the government and foreign troops based in the country since US-led forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001.
More than 520 civilians were killed during operations by foreign troops against the Taliban last year alone, according to aid groups and some Afghan officials.
A UN Human Rights rapporteur last month said some 200 civilians have been killed by foreign and Afghan forces since the start of 2008.