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US Troops Kill Seven Afghan Police

Police fired on GIs on night mission; mistook them for Taliban

By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 12, 2007 10:55 AM CDT

(Newser) – U.S. troops mistakenly killed seven Afghan police during a nighttime mission yesterday. The police originally fired on the Americans, thinking they were Taliban fighters; in response, the soldiers opened fire and called in attack aircraft. A spokesman for President Hamid Karzai called the shooting "a tragic incident" sparked by miscommunication.

An investigation into the accident has been opened. Also yesterday, an 8-hour battle in southern Afghanistan ended with the killing of 24 Taliban fighters. The AP reports that over 2,300 people have died in insurgency-related violence this year.

The shell casings allegedly used by U.S. forces in a shooting against the Afghan police are shown by an Afghan man at the site were Afghan police men were mistaken killed by U.S. forces in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, June 12,...
The shell casings allegedly used by U.S. forces in a shooting against the Afghan police are shown by an Afghan man at the site were Afghan police men were mistaken killed by U.S. forces in Khogyani district...   (Associated Press)
Afghan police officers gather near the blood stains of their colleagues who were mistakenly killed by U.S. forces, in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, June 12, 2007. Afghan police mistook U.S. troops on a nighttime mission for Taliban fighters and opened fire...
Afghan police officers gather near the blood stains of their colleagues who were mistakenly killed by U.S. forces, in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, June...   (Associated Press)
An Afghan police officer points to his colleague's uniform after he was shot mistaken by U.S. forces in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, June 12, 2007. Afghan police mistook U.S. troops on a nighttime mission for Taliban fighters and opened fire on...
An Afghan police officer points to his colleague's uniform after he was shot mistaken by U.S. forces in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, June 12, 2007. Afghan...   (Associated Press)
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