The World - News from Dec. 11, 1988

Afghan government jet fighters mistakenly strafed civilians in the besieged southern city of Kandahar, killing 24 people and injuring 16 others, including eight soldiers, Afghan authorities said. State-run Kabul Radio said the aircraft may have been trying to retaliate against ground troops who fired at them. The broadcast said the warplanes strafed northern areas of Kandahar, 260 miles southwest of Kabul, on Thursday. Soviet media reported an abortive coup last month in Kandahar in which Afghan officers led about 400 Muslim guerrillas in an attack on an army headquarters.