At least 22 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed after an ambush on their convoy by Taliban militants in the Sar-e-Pol province, in the north of the country.
Officials say 22 Taliban fighters died in the ensuing fire fight.
The attack came after Nato said it had killed "eight armed enemy combatants" in airstrikes, however villagers said seven civilians, including a nine-year-old child, died in the attack.
The civilian deaths would be the first caused by air strikes since the new government came to power last month.