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Afghan Police: US-Led Airstrike Mistakenly Kills Soldiers

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VOA
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Police in southeastern Afghanistan say American helicopters bombed a security outpost Monday morning, killing at least eight Afghan soldiers and wounding several others.

The deadly incident happened in Baraki Barak district of Logar province, 50 kilometers east of the national capital, Kabul.

Provincial Police Chief Mohammad Daoud Ahmadi told local media the airstrike by the international coalition in Afghanistan mistakenly hit the Afghan National Army outpost, saying the suspected target was about a kilometer away in the same area.

U.S. officials say they are aware of the incident and an investigation is underway, but would not comment on the damages the bombing caused.

The airstrike took place a day after U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey visited Kabul, where he met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani who Dempsey said on Twitter “expressed his thanks for the stalwart U.S. support to their freedom and security.”

Monday’s deadly incident follows an unusual lull in the Taliban-led insurgent violence during the three-day Eid festival that marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

Some observers attribute the temporary pause in insurgent attacks to first ever face-to-face talks earlier this month between the Afghan government and the Taliban in 14 years.

Pakistan hosted the peace dialogue in its tourist town of Murree near Islamabad. The two sides agreed to meet again after Ramadan, and officials acknowledged that the issue of a cease-fire on Eid did come up in the discussions. However, there was no announcement whether either side would agree to a cease-fire.

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