Forces Attack Afghan Village, 16 Are Killed

KABUL, Afghanistan — American and Afghan forces attacked a remote village in a mountainous region of northeastern Afghanistan following reports that an infamous insurgent leader was in the area, a governor said yesterday. At least 16 people were killed.

Governor Tamim Nuristani said Afghan soldiers told him Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was meeting with a top deputy, Kashmir Khan, in the Dohabi district of Nuristan province Sunday, sparking a fierce bombardment. The Defense Ministry said Mr. Hekmatyar wasn't the target but that fighters from his group, Hezb-i-Islami, had gathered in the village alongside Taliban militants. Other provincial leaders said many civilians were killed in the hours-long clash, which included airstrikes in the remote villages of Shok and Kendal. Mr. Nuristani said it was too early to know if any of the 16 killed were civilians. His casualty figures came from police who had reached the remote district.

American officials and the Afghan Defense Ministry have denied that any civilians were killed.