16 Afghan police killed in US air strike aimed at clearing village of Taliban elements

>> KANDAHAR: A US air strike killed 16 Afghan police officers and wounded two others in Helmand province, officials said yesterday.

The incident took place on Friday at 5pm as Afghan security forces were clearing a village of Taliban elements, Helmand police spokesman Salam Afghan said.

“In the strike, 16 Afghan policemen were killed including two commanders. Two other policemen were wounded,” he said.

Helmand provincial governor spokesman Omar Zwak confirmed the strike and gave the same account.

It occurred in Gereshk district in Helmand, large parts of which are under Taliban control.

Nato’s mission in Afghanistan issued a statement. “During a US-supported [Afghan security] operation, aerial fires resulted in the deaths of the friendly Afghan forces who were gathered in a compound,” it said. “We would like to express our deepest condolences to the families affected by this unfortunate incident,” the statement said, adding there would be a probe into what happened.

The US is the only foreign force in the coalition conducting air strikes in Afghanistan.

Acting interior ministry spokesman Najeeb Danish gave a lower death toll than the provincial officials.

“The toll we have received is that unfortunately as a result of the strike, we have 12 police forces martyred and no one wounded,” Mr Danish said.

He said a ministry delegation had been sent to the area to investigate the incident and help families of the victims.

There have been a series of incidents involving US air strikes and Afghans. In February, a US strike in Sangin killed at least 18 civilians, mostly women and children.

Last November 32 Afghan civilians were killed in a US strike in the northeastern province of Kunduz. In October 2015, a US air strike during fighting hit a hospital, killing 42 people and sparking international outrage.