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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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US Accidentally Kills 6 Afghan Cops

Calls it a 'tragic case of mistaken identity'

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(Newser) – US troops killed six Afghan policemen and one civilian today, in what a senior military spokesman called a “tragic case of mistaken identity,” the New York Times reports. The forces had just finished overrunning a Taliban hideout, killing a suspected Taliban commander and detaining another man, when the policemen fired on them, according to a joint statement from the American and Afghan militaries.

The Americans returned fire with small arms and aircraft, according to the statement. Only afterward did they realize they were shooting at police. But the deputy police chief says the officers were inside a police station, which was destroyed in the airstrike, and that the shots came from another nearby building.

Map locates Qalat, Afghanistan, where U.S. Special Forces killed at least six Afghan police.
Map locates Qalat, Afghanistan, where U.S. Special Forces killed at least six Afghan police.
An Afghan policeman is swathed in ammunition for his heavy machine gun, during a routine patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008.
An Afghan policeman is swathed in ammunition for his heavy machine gun, during a routine patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008.   (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
An Afghan policeman is seen alart during a routine patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008.
An Afghan policeman is seen alart during a routine patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008.   (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
An Afghan man looks at burning materials set ablaze by angry villagers after a man and his children were allegedly killed by US troops in Kabul, Afghanistan, in this, Sept. 1, 2008 file photo.
An Afghan man looks at burning materials set ablaze by angry villagers after a man and his children were allegedly killed by US troops in Kabul, Afghanistan, in this, Sept. 1, 2008 file photo.   (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
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2 comments
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infidel
Dec 10, 08 8:35 AM CST
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Shannonals
Dec 10, 08 2:51 PM CST
Evidently you didn't actually read the article. The soldiers assumed that the shots came from the the officers, but actually came from a nearby building. Classic case of, "Friendly Fire". Joint reports validate both sides of the incident. This is the dangers one faces conducting firefights in an Urban area.
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