Afghan Forces Responsible for Friendly Fire Airstrike in Farah Province
18:40 01.10.2016
The US airstrike was called by military personnel in the Bala Buluk district to provide support against terrorists but resulted in a friendly fire incident due to errors in the information provided, according to Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dowlat Waziri.
KABUL (Sputnik) – The accidental airstrike that killed several Afghan soldiers in the country's western Farah province was carried out by the Afghan army and not US forces, the Afghan Defense Ministry said Saturday.
Earlier, reports emerged that at least five Afghan military personnel died in what was alleged to be a US airstrike.
The airstrike was called by military personnel in the Bala Buluk district to provide support against terrorists but resulted in a friendly fire incident due to errors in the information provided, according to Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dowlat Waziri.
A total of six people died, including five special forces troops and one police officer, the ministry specified.
"The Defense Ministry has sent a commission to the west of the country in order to investigate the issue," Waziri said, stressing that foreign aircraft did not take part in the strike.
On September 28, at least 15 civilians were killed and 13 injured in a US drone strike in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, which was condemned by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is in a state of political and social turmoil, with government forces fighting the continuing Taliban insurgency, while other extremist groups, such as the Islamic State, outlawed in many countries including the United States and Russia, have also expanded their activities both in the country and in neighboring states.
© Sputnik
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