Eight U.S. Civilians Killed in Afghanistan's Khost Province

Those killed were reportedly working for the CIA.

Khost Province Afghanistan Image courtesy: Al Jazeera

(KHOST PROVINCE, Afghanistan) - Eight American civilians were killed in a military base suicide attack in Afghanistan's southeastern Khost province, US officials report.

A spokesman who chose to not be identified, said the attack at Forward Operating Base Chapman did not kill or injure any US or NATO military troops.

"We can confirm that there was an explosion in Khost province and eight Americans have been killed," a US official in Kabul said.

In another incident, Taliban forces say they killed three members of the Canadian military in Afghanistan's Kahdahar Province, Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra said.

Foreign forces condemned

Hundreds of Afghan civilians have taken to the streets in protest over the alleged deaths of 10 civilians, including school children, by international forces in the east side of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai issued a statement, claiming the deaths occurred on Sunday in a remote part of Kunar province on the border with Pakistan.

This area is near Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province, which borders Kunar, where around 200 university students rallied in the streets on Wednesday with demands that the parties responsible for the alleged weekend attack that left the civilians dead, be brought to justice.

That is not the only part of Afghanistan where protests are taking place. In Kabul, a crowd numbering approximately 100 gathered in a western district, venting frustration over the killings.

They chanted, "Obama! Obama! Take your soldiers out of Afghanistan!" and "Stop killing us!" As this took place, other protesters displayed placards with pictures of children they say were killed by foreign troops.

For their part, Nato's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, have strongly denied the Karzai government's accusations.

A senior official with ISAF told Al Jazeera, "The evidence we have is that there were no civilian casualties."

"All the people who are claimed to be dead were all fighting-age males." The official said the incident involved an attack by US Special Forces.

US Colonel Wayne Shanks with ISAF, told reporters that the Kunar incident was being investigated, adding that the incident was a "joint operation" between Afghan and foreign forces.

One of the biggest obstacles for the international military operation has been the number of civilian deaths that have taken place during combat operations. These situations have greatly impacted the popularity of the US- led mission.

While it is true that far more civilians are killed by the Taliban, the deaths attributed to foreign military forces tend to incite wide resentment and undermine Coalition attempts to weaken the Taliban by building trust among the peaceful population.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies