US-led airstrike kills 7 Afghan civilians

At least seven Afghan civilians have been killed during the latest spate of US-led air strike in Afghanistan amid the rise in civilian casualties in the war-torn country.

The attack took place in Zarmat district in Paktia province on Saturday as a group of Afghan road construction workers were working on a project, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Reports say local people have gathered at the site of the attack and there is extreme anger over the event.

The latest strike comes as reports indicate the number of US-led airstrikes in Afghanistan has hit a record high.

The U-S Air Force has released figures showing that in October alone, a total of 1,000 air raids were carried out across war-ravaged Afghanistan.

US-led forces have repeatedly claimed that the targets of the strikes are militants and their hideouts, but most often they result in civilian casualties.

In another development, a bomb attack close to an Afghan army base in Char Darah district in Kunduz province has also wounded at least 8 people, security officials said on the same day.

The injured include 5 Afghan soldiers and three local women. Some of the victims are reportedly in critical condition.

The bomber used a police vehicle recently stolen by militants.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.

2010 has been the deadliest year of the nine-year war in Afghanistan, with casualties among civilians and foreign troops at record levels, mainly due to an increase in Taliban attacks.

The upsurge in the number of casualties among US-led foreign forces in tandem with the heavy civilian casualties has provoked a barrage criticism from countries, which have contributed troops to the prolonged Afghan mission.