Several Afghan Troops Killed in Counter-Taliban Airstrike
The friendly fire incident happened in the Gereshk district of Helmand province, where fighting had raged since Taliban insurgents staged a major assault on government outposts a day earlier.
Provincial Governor Hayatullah Hayat told VOA Afghan that U.S. forces were bombing insurgent positions in the district when a newly restored outpost in the Sarband area was hit. He said the airstrike killed two officers and "a number of policemen," but did not give any other figures. Hayat said an investigation was under way to determine who was responsible for hitting the outpost.
U.S. military officials confirmed that local security personnel aligned with Afghan government forces had been killed. Officials issued a statement calling the deaths "unfortunate" and pledged an investigation to "determine the specific circumstances that led to this incident."
The deadly strike came after a Taliban suicide car bomb attack destroyed the same post just before the insurgents assaulted the district Thursday.
The governor said the post was rebuilt and Afghan forces were redeployed just before it was bombed Friday afternoon.
The Taliban controls several districts in Helmand, the largest Afghan province and a major poppy-growing region.
Earlier this week, Afghan forces backed by U.S. air power and military advisers recaptured the Nawa district near the provincial capital of Lashkargah, nine months after the Taliban had overrun it.
The restive Afghan province borders Pakistan and Iran.