At least nine civilians were killed and 12 others injured "mistakenly" by a unit of the Ethiopian army, security officials said on Sunday.

According to a statement issued by a command post secretariat set up to oversee implementation of a Feb. 19 state of emergency, the soldiers deployed in Moyale area in Oromia regional state, near the border with Kenya, acted on incorrect intelligence.

An inquiry has been launched and the soldiers involved in the killings have been kept in custody.

The results of the inquiry will soon be made public, it added.