US: At least 50 were killed in strike on Taliban leaders

A US military official says a US artillery strike last week on a gathering of Taliban leaders in southern Afghanistan killed at least 50 people.

Lt. Col. Martin O'Donnell said today that the impact of the strike will be felt beyond Helmand province, where four artillery rockets destroyed a command-and-control position.

The May 24 attack was announced last week, but without a public estimate of the numbers killed.

O'Donnell says the attack hit a high-level gathering of Taliban commanders in the Musa Qala district. He says it was an example of how the US military is using expanded authorities granted as part of the Trump administration's new regional strategy for fighting the Afghanistan war, allowing US forces to take a more active role in combat.