October 22, 2001	Monday	Shaba'an 4, 1422

KABUL, Oct 21: A stray US bomb landed on a residential neighbourhood of Kabul on Sunday killing at least 10 people in the worst case of civilian casualties to be independently confirmed since airstrikes began.

Local people told AFP that nine of those who died in the neighbourhood of Parod Gajaded in the Khair Khana district of northeastern Kabul were from the same family.

They lived in a two-storey building which was half-destroyed when the bomb struck at around 8.00 am on Sunday morning.

The victims who died were four women, three children and two men. Another 12 members of the family were injured, some seriously, according to local people. The 10th victim was in a neighbouring house which was partially damaged by the same bomb.

The intended target of the US attack was believed to be a Taliban military base 1.5 kilometres away.

A second bomb struck and completely destroyed an empty house some 300 metres away from where the first one landed.

“These people were eating their breakfast when the bombs landed. This is an inhuman action,” local resident Azim Ullah, 59, told AFP.

Pointing towards the Taliban base, he added: “Look where is the military base and look where they have bombarded.”

Ullah, a friend of the family devastated by the attack, said the bodies of the victims had been taken to hospital. When an AFP reporter arrived at the scene, relatives were attempting to recover family possessions from the rubble.

Taliban officials claim anywhere between 500 and 900 civilians have died since the US launched attacks on Afghanistan on October 7.—AFP