The U.S.-led Coalition forces on Sunday rejected the reported huge civilian casualties in Nawzad district of the southern Helmand province, terming it as Taliban's baseless propaganda.

"Battle damage assessments from operations in the Nowzad District Center in Helmand Province have yet to conclude that non- combatants were killed as a result of Coalition operations on July 12 against extremists," said a press release issued by the Coalition forces.

Hajji Dad Mohammad, a parliamentarian from Helmand province, claimed Thursday that Coalition's air raids left 25 civilians dead in Nawzad district while some locals put the number as high as 100.

The report has caused concern among Afghans as President Hamid Karzai has ordered a thorough investigation into the case.

"The Coalition expects extremists, as a propaganda ploy, to continue to level accusations of civilian deaths against the Coalition. Although the Coalition takes every allegation seriously, extremist spokespersons fabricate claims on a near daily basis to discredit Coalition forces and the Government of Afghanistan," the press release stressed.

In the press release, the U.S.-led military said that it would take all precautionary steps to limit the chances of civilian casualties.

Since launching the ongoing anti-Taliban Mountain Thrust operation in mid-May, more than 700 people have been killed, bringing the number of casualties to more than 1,000 since inception of the year.

Source: Xinhua