US troops mistakenly kill seven Afghan policemen

AFGHANISTAN: US-led soldiers and warplanes killed seven Afghan policemen in a midnight battle that erupted when both sides mistook each other for militants, officials said Tuesday.

The foreign soldiers, who had been on an anti-Taliban operation, called in jets to assist them after coming under fire in the eastern province of Nangarhar around midnight on Monday, they said.

A spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the “heartbreaking incident” was a result of “a misunderstanding and lack of coordination.”

The US-led coalition force said its troops had been trying to conduct an operation on a “suspected Taliban safe house” about 30 kilometres (18 miles) southwest of the provincial capital Jalalabad.

“En route to the location the forces were suddenly ambushed from both sides with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms and returned fire and called in air support and broke contact,” spokesman Major Chris Belcher said.

“Following the engagement, the identity of the assailants was called into question,” he said. He had no information on casualties.

Afghan police initially said they were attacked first.

“They attacked us from ground and air,” said provincial police official Nasir Ahmad Safi, identifying the soldiers as Americans.

“They killed seven police brutally,” he said, alleging the bodies of the dead each had around 20 bullet wounds. “Unless the criminals are prosecuted, we will not bury the bodies in a protest.”

Presidential spokesman Karim Rahimi said later that Afghan forces had not been informed of the coalition operation.

Kabul, Wednesday, AFP