A local official has claimed that a military operation by government forces in Nangarhar province in the east of Afghanistan has left six civilians dead.

The military operation was conducted in Memle village in Khogyani district to clear the area of Taliban, said Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for Nangarhar governor. 

He made the remarks in a video message sent to media outlets on Friday. 

He claimed that six civilians were killed and at least 18 vehicles were destroyed in the operation.

In the footage, Khogyani shows vehicles and the area hit by an airstrike during the military operation of Afghan Special Force Unit. 

He also said that three suspects have been arrested by government forces during the operation.

A UN report in April showed that the organization documented 2,258 civilian casualties (763 deaths and 1,495 injured) for the period of 1 January to 31 March 2018. 

The report said during the first three months of 2018, anti-government elements caused 1,500 civilian casualties - a six percent increase from the same period last year.

Consistent with trends observed in 2017, the report noted that civilian casualties attributed to pro-government forces in the first quarter of 2018 reduced by 13 percent to 407 civilian casualties.