14 soldiers killed in US air strike: Afghan officials

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan military official says an airstrike by the global coalition has killed eight Afghan soldiers in a province east of the capital, Kabul.

Five other troops were injured, Mr Razaq added. A report by the AFP news agency put the death toll at at least 10 people.

AFP quoted an American military source who said that authorities are “aware of an incident involving USA forces in Logar province this morning” and that an investigation is underway.

He also said that checkpoint was not a suspicious area.

They say two U.S. helicopters attacked the checkpoint in broad daylight on Monday.

The Taliban shot at the rescue team, forcing them to leave the bodies behind.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation formally ended combat operations in Afghanistan in December but around 10,000 coalition troops remain in the country to provide training and logistical support to Afghan forces in their continuing fight against the Taliban.

Monday’s incident comes as Taliban insurgents step up attacks on government and foreign targets during their summer offensive despite official efforts to jumpstart peace talks. Afghan official describes the attack as an accident due to bad coordination.

The United Nations reported that most of the victims of “friendly fire” from airstrikes are civilians.

“It was a tragic incident that happened early today, around 6 or 7 a.m. [local time]”, said General Razziq, a commander of the fourth Brigade of the Afghan Army in Logar.

In January, Afghan soldiers accidentally fired mortars at a wedding party that killed 17 women and children in the southern province of Helmand.