At least 28 people attending a wedding in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday were killed by rockets fired by Afghan army soldiers, just one day before the country took full control of its security from the U.S.-led coalition.
Thirty-five bodies were presented to provincial Governor Mohammad Naeem by the tribal leader of Sarwankhalain, but deputy police chief Bacha Gull was only able to confirm that 28 people were killed, according to The Associated Press. The strike wounded an additional 51 people.
Many killed were women and children, and the head of the army in the southern province of Helmand told the AP that investigations are underway to determine if the wedding party was purposefully targeted by soldiers.
The incident occurred in the Sangin district during a fight between Taliban militants and Afghan soldiers, BBC reported.
Early investigations indicated that rockets were fired from both the north and south from a distance of 1.8 miles, Gen. Sultan Mahmoud told the AP.
"What we know so far is that our soldiers fired mortar rounds from three outposts but we do not know whether it was intentional," Mahmoud told Reuters. "We have launched our investigation and will punish those who did this."
The U.S.-led mission to drive the Taliban out of power officially ended on Dec. 31, and Afghanistan took full control of its operations on Thursday.
Some 13,000 foreign troops, mostly American, will remain in the country for at least two more years to help train and support the 300,000-strong Afghan army.
