Kabul, October 14 (RHC)-- Villagers in the Afghan province of Paktia say a NATO airstrike has killed seven civilians, including a nine-year-old child. The villagers said they were gathering firewood at the time of the strike.

A spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition confirmed a "precision air strike" in the area, which he said killed eight "enemies." But Abdul Wali Sahi, the province’s deputy governor, said the villagers brought the corpses of seven civilians to the provincial capital.

This month marks the 13th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. Over the weekend, hundreds of people marched in the Afghan capital Kabul to protest an agreement to keep 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond this year. Former President Hamid Karzai had previously refused to sign the deal in part over the killings of Afghan civilians.