The Taliban said civilians who had come out to take fuel from the lorry were killed in the attack [AFP]

The assault was carried out in Kunduz province, with some witnesses putting the number of dead and injured as high as 120.

Nato has admitted that Friday's attack had possibly killed civilians.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Nato secretary-general, said: "Certainly, a number of Taliban were killed and there is a possibility of civilian casualties as well."

Gulam Mohyuddin, the local chief of police, said on Friday that the air raid had hit the tankers in Kunduz province, near the Tajikistan border.

Jon Stock, press officer for Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), said: "I can confirm that there was an air strike last night or early this morning."

"Isaf's target in the air raid was insurgents," he said.

'Civilians killed'

Mohammad Omar, the Kunduz governor, said that many of the dead were Taliban, and at least one senior Taliban commander was killed in the attack.

Omar added that four Chechens were found among the dead.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said that as many as 90 civilians, who had come out to take the fuel from the lorries, had been killed in the attack.

He confirmed that the two lorries had been hijacked, but said that only one was hit in the air raid after the other got stuck in the mud in Aliabad district and was abandoned.

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