JALALABAD (PAN): Eight schoolgirls and a guard were injured in a NATO airstrike in eastern Nangarhar province on Wednesday, officials said.

The incident happened in the Shewa district early in the morning, Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, the governor’s spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News. An investigation had been launched to ascertain why the school was struck, he said.

Meanwhile, the ISAF media office in the east confirmed the incident, saying evidences showed that foreign forces had not attacked students.

Dr. Mohammad Ayub Sharafat, a former tribal affairs director, said his daughter and three cousins suffered injuries in the strike. A NATO helicopter struck the school without any reason, he concluded.

mrh /mas/ma/mud