Attack on Afghan village 'part of anti-talibal op'

The US air assault on an Afghan village that residents say killed 44 civilians was part of a larger operation targeting Taliban fighters, Pentagon officials said.

Some of the hundreds of US, coalition and Afghan troops in the area had fought gun battles with enemy forces in the days and weeks before Monday’s raid, said Marine Corps Lt Gen Gregory Newbold. All six sites attacked by the US AC-130 gunship on Monday had anti-aircraft guns that were shooting at the plane, Newbold said.