Kabul, Afghanistan: In an operation in the outskirts of Qalat city, the capital of Zabul province, the US Special Forces mistakenly opened fire at the Afghan Police, killed 6 and wounded 13 Afghan Police, including one civilian.
US military spokesman Col. Jerry O’Harra said that Coalition forces deeply regret the tragic incident and said that it happened because of the mistaken identity of the Afghan Police.
The US Special forces were carrying out an operation in the outskirts of Qalat against a Taliban commander and the Afghan Police opened fire, thinking it was a Taliban attack, the helicopter fired on the Police post and the roof collapsed and damaged a civilian home nearby, the provincial Police chief Gilani Khan told.
Afghan president Hamid Karzai deplored the incident of the killing of Afghan Police and said that the civilian casualties in such incidents are regrettable.
Friendly fire between the Coalition forces and Afghan Police happens several times a year, but the civilian deaths during such operations are common in Afghanistan and according to a recent report, more than 1300 civilians causalities have been reported in the coalition forces attacks.