KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — As they trickled back to Panjwaii district on Friday, some Afghan civilians said they will bury innocent family members who died in NATO's recent bombardment of the former Taliban stronghold.

Interviews with returning families indicate the civilian death toll in the district west of Kandahar city could be higher than the 13 acknowledged by provincial officials.

NATO says there is no way to know for sure how many innocent people caught in the fierce battles might have been killed, but the alliance has done everything possible to avoid civilian casualties.

Retired farmer Toor Jaan claimed 26 family members, including men, women and children, died in Sperwan on the western edge of the battle zone during bombing and helicopter gunship attacks.

A mass memorial service was held for his family at a mosque in Kandahar as he prepared Friday to return to Sperwan to bury the dead.

"Everybody thought the operation would remove the Taliban and security would improve," Jaan said through an interpreter.

"Instead, innocent civilians were attacked and several of my family members are still buried in rubble. This is not what we expected."

NATO officials say somewhere between 510 and 1,500 Taliban militants died in the massive air and ground assault on the area. The provincial government pegged the civilian death toll at 13.

No new civilian casualties have been confirmed, said Capt. Doug MacNair, a spokesman for NATO forces in southern Afghanistan.

MacNair added that sorting out innocent civilians from local Taliban and new recruits will be nearly impossible.

"We cannot rule out that someone stayed behind to look after crops or livestock, but it was not immediately apparent," said MacNair. "But if there were local (Taliban) hires, we don't know and we'll never know, frankly."

With the Taliban gone from Panjwaii and international forces holding the ground and promising millions in aid, few local residents are likely to admit insurgent allegiances exist in their neighbourhood.

Just a month ago, the Taliban were digging elaborate trench systems and hiding weapons among the walled compounds and grape fields in the region.

Some residents said they allowed the retrenchment under threat and intimidation, but the area was the birthplace of the Taliban and has long been known for its sympathies.

Haji Kherullah, 42, says he lost two sons and a nephew in a bombardment.

"How can this loss be replaced?" Kherullah said. "Everybody thought the operation was against the Taliban, not civilians. We were wrong."

Haji Agha Lalai, a prominent district official allied with NATO, said Friday that he could not confirm the stories of the Jaan or Kherullah families.

Two local elders, Mullah Abdur Rahim and Haji Nanai, stood by the accounts of Jaan and Kherullah, claiming 29 dead in total and denying they had any affiliation with the Taliban.

Faced with questions about civilian deaths, NATO has taken pains to point out the ample warnings area residents received to get out of the combat zone. For days, the area was scattered with leaflets and NATO forces openly warned days in advance that an attack was imminent.

"We took every step possible to minimize civilian casualties," MacNair said.

While a massive amount of bombs and artillery shells were dropped in the area, MacNair pointed out that careful targeting left most buildings standing in most villages.

In the villages around Pashmul at the very heart of the area, reporters travelling with advancing Canadian troops confirmed that most Afghans took heed of warnings to get out. Only a few bodies of suspected insurgents were found, along with scattered possessions. Most houses were empty.

U.S. and Afghan troops operated further west in Sperwan, where Jaan and Kherullah live.

Nanai, the village elder, said many civilians like Kherullah decided to stay in that area.

"My home and my business is (in Sperwan), so I thought where else could I go," said Kherullah, who says he sought refuge in Kandahar after his house was bombed.

"My sheep, my goats, my cows, my grapes. It's all gone. The major problem is that I can't go to my village again to restart my life with so much sorrow."