Kabul (July 22, 2017) An errant U.S. airstrike confirmed by the Pentagon killed 16Afghan National Police officers and wounded two others, Helmand provincial police chief Abdul Ghafar Safi said Saturday.
The attack happened as Afghan security forces were clearing Taliban militants from a village in the Gereshk district, police said.
Nato has acknowledged the incident, without detailing how many Afghans died, and promised an investigation.
Meanwhile, the Taliban say a son of their leader has died carrying out a suicide attack in the same area.
The US air strikes on Friday afternoon were part of the Nato mission to support Afghan forces against the Taliban.
“In the strike, 16 Afghan policemen were killed including two commanders. Two other policemen were wounded,” Helmand police spokesman Salam Afghan told media.
A Nato statement said: “During a US-supported (Afghan security) operation, aerial fires resulted in the deaths of the friendly Afghan forces who were gathered in a compound.
“We would like to express our deepest condolences to the families affected by this unfortunate incident.”
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