WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Local media reported earlier in the day that at least 16 civilians died in an airstrike in the area.
"The militants were observed loading weapons in to a vehicle and were under surveillance until the vehicle was destroyed by an airstrike," Purtiman said on Friday.
"The strike was conducted in the middle of open terrain. There was zero chance of civilian casualties."
Nangarhar is an Afghan territory bordering Pakistan. On April 13, the US dropped a non-atomic bomb in the Achin district of the Afghan province of Nangarhar, known as the “Mother of All Bombs” or MOAB.
Afghanistan has been experiencing significant political, social and security-related instability for decades, as terrorist organizations, including Daesh and the Taliban terrorist groups, which continue to stage attacks against civilian and military targets.
The United States and its allies launched a military operation in Afghanistan in 2001 following 9/11 terror attacks. The mission in Afghanistan ended on December 28, 2014. On January 1, 2015, NATO announced its new mission in the country, called Resolute Support, to train and assist the Afghan security forces.
