17 civilians killed in US bombing in northern Iraq

At least 17 civilians were killed in a US bombing raid in northern Iraq's city of Tal Afar in the early hours of Thursday, Al Jazeera's Arabic channel reported.

The victims included 12 children and three women, according to the report, which offered no further details. No official information from the Iraqi government is currently available.

It remains to be known if the civilians were "mistakenly" targeted by the United States, which is leading an international coalition to strike important logistic sites of the Islamic State militant group in Iraq.

In the latest U.S. Air Force's "mistaken" airstrike, a AC-130 gunship aircraft targeted a civilian hospital in northern Afghanistan's Kunduz city, killing 42 people. Sixteen U.S. military personnel, including a general officer, were later disciplined for their role in the blunder.

Source: XINHUA