US officials: 8 Americans killed in apparent suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan

US officials: 8 Americans killed in Afghanistan

KABUL — A U.S. official says eight Americans have been killed in eastern Afghanistan. The official, who spoke Wednesday night on condition of anonymity because details about the incident had not been confirmed, would not disclose any other information.

A senior U.S. official in Washington said the Americans were killed in Khost province by an attacker wearing a suicide vest.

Conflicting reports were reaching the Pentagon on whether the victims were civilian or military.

Another senior U.S. official in Washington said there were conflicting reports on the total number of casualties. Others were also wounded.

Wazir Pacha, a police spokesman in Khost province, says local people reported hearing a blast on a military base in the area.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

KABUL (AP) — NATO is questioning Afghan reports that civilians were among those killed in weekend fighting in eastern Afghanistan.

The head of an Afghan team investigating the incident said Wednesday that eight schoolchildren between the ages of 12 and 14 were among the dead found in Narang district of Kunar province. Earlier NATO said the dead were all young male insurgents.

NATO spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks said in a statement NATO has no direct evidence to substantiate the Afghan probe’s findings, and the international force has requested an immediate joint investigation to find out what happened.

The latest figures released by the United Nations show that 2,021 civilians died during clashes in the first 10 months of this year.