Afghanistan ? The U.S. military says American and Afghan forces killed several insurgents during an extended patrol in southern Afghanistan where villagers claim that some 40 civilians in a wedding party were killed.

The military says insurgents ambushed a coalition patrol that was moving through the Shah Wali Kot region of Kandahar province between Monday and Wednesday.

The U.S. said the civilians “reportedly attempted to leave the area but the insurgents forced them to remain.”

Villagers in Wech Baghtu say about 37 people – mostly women and children – died in an afternoon bombing run by jet fighters after U.S. forces and Taliban fighters battled nearby. The home was hosting a wedding party at the time.