KABUL: At least 17 Afghan police officers were killed in an airstrike carried out by U.S. forces in the south of the country, media and the Afghan interior ministry said on Friday.
The airstrike, which targeted Taliban fighters, instead killed 17 police officers and wounded 11 others in Helmand province.
“During heavy fighting with the Taliban in Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, our Afghan National Defense and security partners requested precision air support,” U.S. Forces – Afghanistan spokesperson Colonel Dave Butler said.
Colonel Dave said: “We support our Afghan security partners, we deconflicted the requested support with an Afghan coordination unit to ensure the areas were clear of friendly forces.
The forces reported and confirmed the areas were clear of friendly forces. Unfortunately, they were not and a tragic accident resulted,” he added.
Helmand Governor Mohammad Yasin said that the incident was being investigated.
His spokesman, Omar Zwak, said that foreign forces in Afghanistan had carried out the air strike as part of an operation to drive out Taliban militants from the area.
