Ninety killed in NATO airstrike in Afghanistan

A NATO airstrike in northern Afghanistan on Friday killed around 90 people, most of them Taliban insurgents, a spokesman for the provincial government said.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said it was investigating reports of civilian casualties in an airstrike that destroyed two fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban in northern Kunduz province.

"Some 90 people were killed in this incident and most of them are Taliban. It was an ISAF force airstrike," Mahbubullah Sayedi, a spokesman for the Kunduz provincial government, told AFP.

"A small number of the casualties are local civilians, including a few children who had come to take free fuel," he added, declining to give any further details.

The German army, whose soldiers are based in Kunduz under NATO command, earlier said the airstrike killed 56 Taliban militants after they attacked an alliance convoy.

"There were no civilian casualties. There were no German casualties," an army statement said.

The statement said a battle around the tankers took place at 2:30am local time some seven kilometers (four miles) southwest of Kunduz.

Some 90 people were killed in this incident and most of them are Taliban. It was an ISAF force airstrike

Mahbubullah Sayedi, Kunduz provincial government

"Sure they were insurgents"

"We are fairly certain that they were all insurgents, but we are not 100 percent sure," a German army spokesman told AFP, confirming the death toll had been established by army and Afghan officials on the ground.

He added that the fuel was destined for German forces in Kunduz but there were no German forces escorting the tankers when they were hijacked.

ISAF said two fuel trucks were stolen at about 10:2D pm Thursday (1730 GMT) and were spotted several hours later on the banks of the Kunduz river.

"After assessing that only insurgents were in the area, the local ISAF commander ordered an airstrike which destroyed the fuel trucks and a large number of insurgents were killed and injured," a spokeswoman said.

"ISAF has received information that civilians were killed and injured in this attack. ISAF forces in conjunction with Afghan officials are conducting investigations," she added.

Around 200 to 250 villagers were believed to have gathered to help themselves from the tankers, said health ministry spokesman Farid Rahid in Kabul.

We are fairly certain that they were all insurgents, but we are not 100 percent sure

German army spokesman

Witness Mohammad Daud, 32, said villagers rushed to one of the trucks when it got stuck in the river, to take free fuel at the Taliban's invitation.

"There were 10 to 15 Taliban on top of the tanker. This was when they were bombed. Everyone around the fuel tanker died," he told AFP in hospital.

"Nobody was in one piece. Hands, legs and body parts were scattered everywhere. Those who were away from the fuel tanker were badly burnt."

The incident came four days after the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan submitted a review into the nearly eight-year war, calling for a revised strategy to defeat the Taliban and reverse the country's "serious" situation.