At least 18 people, including children and women, were killed in an airstrike by Afghan Air Force in Ghazni province of Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported. The strike, which was intended for Taliban insurgents, killed all members of a family.

Eight children and seven women are among the dead, confirmed Baz Muhammad Nazir, the head of Ghazni Provincial Council. The incident happened on Saturday night in Khashroad district of the province. 

Releasing a statement,  the Afghan National Army said, “Multiple airstrikes were conducted by Afghan forces and the Taliban were targeted in airstrikes and suffered heavy casualties.” The reports of the civilian casualties will be investigated, the statement added. 

The relatives of the deceased family took the bodies of all victims to the provincial capital, demanding accountability from the government. 

The reports say the local officials are tight-lipped about the claim. 

The fighting between the Taliban and the government forces are on the rise ever since the two sides started the intra-Afghan talks in a bid to end the four decades of conflict. 

Earlier, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad called the high level of violence ‘unacceptable.” The second round of the Intra-Afghan talks started on January 6 in Doha, Qatar. However, reports say, the heads of the two negotiation teams are yet to join the talks in Doha.