Nine Afghan soldiers killed accidentally in U.S. air strike

At least nine Afghan soldiers were killed and another six wounded after a U.S. aircraft accidentally bombed an Afghan National Army checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan.

The incident occurred early Monday in Baraki Barak district of Logar province, police chief Mohammad Daud Ahmadi told EFE.

The police rushed to the spot and transported the wounded soldiers to the hospital for treatment, he added.

“We are aware of an incident involving U.S. forces in Logar province this morning, Jul. 20th,” Brian Tribus, a spokesman for the NATOled Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, told EFE, adding, “The matter is under investigation.”

Clashes between the Afghan army and Taliban are commonplace in Baraki Barak, which is one of the most dangerous districts of Logar.

Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid wrote on Twitter, U.S. forces killed 14 soldiers, but the militant group is known to exaggerate casualties among Afghan and international troops.

During former Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s term, deaths caused by the socalled “friendly fire” were one of the main sources of tension between Afghan security forces and international troops stationed in the country.

In March 2014, at least five Afghan soldiers were killed and another seven wounded in a NATO air strike, also in Logar.

NATO’s ISAF mission concluded at the end of 2014 and was replaced with Operation Resolute Support, under which NATO maintains around 4,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, to train Afghan security forces.

The United States deploys about 11,000 soldiers in Afghanistan as part of its antiterrorist combat mission.

Though the mission is to continue until 2016, Washington is rethinking the terms and duration of the operation.