NATO copters fire on Afghan troops

KABUL, Afghanistan — A NATO airstrike hit two Afghan military checkpoints Monday in a restive province south of the capital, Kabul, killing seven Afghan troops in what an Afghan official described as an accident due to bad coordination.

The Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, expressed his “profound sorrow” over the tragedy and ordered an investigation into the killings.

The accident happened as coalition helicopters were flying over an area in Logar province where clashes were underway between Afghan troops and Taliban fighters, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said.

Insurgents fired toward the helicopters, prompting a response that destroyed one army checkpoint, the ministry statement added.

Logar provincial army commander Abdul Razaq said the early morning strike took place in the district of Baraki Barak, about 30 miles south of Kabul. Razaq revised an earlier, higher figure and said seven troops were killed while five were wounded.