Afghan official: US troops kill 3 civilians amid attack

By

The Associated Press

US soldiers stands gaurd near the site of a car bomb in the Afghan capital Kabul on May 31, 2017. At least 80 people were killed in a massive blast which ripped through the diplomatic quarter of the Afghan capital Kabul early May 31, the health ministry said, warning the toll would rise further. / AFP PHOTO / WAKIL KOHSAR (Photo credit should read WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)

KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan official says U.S. troops opened fire after their convoy was attacked in eastern Nangarhar province, killing three civilians.

Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor, says a convoy was en route to a mission Sunday night when it was struck by a roadside bomb. Khogyani says the troops reacted by opening fire, killing a father and two sons.

Douglas High, a spokesman for the NATO mission in Afghanistan, confirmed that a convoy transporting U.S. and Afghan soldiers was struck by a roadside bomb and attacked with small arms fire.

US soldiers stands gaurd near the site of a car bomb in the Afghan capital Kabul on May 31, 2017. At least 80 people were killed in a massive blast which ripped through the diplomatic quarter of the Afghan capital Kabul early May 31, the health ministry said, warning the toll would rise further. / AFP PHOTO / WAKIL KOHSAR (Photo credit should read WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)

US soldiers stand guard near the site of a car bomb in the Afghan capital Kabul on May 31, 2017.

Photo Credit: Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images

High said in a statement that the soldiers returned fire in self-defense and there were no U.S. casualties.

“We have not received any official allegations of civilian casualties,” High said.