NATO Strike Kills Afghan Troops

4 soldiers are victims of 'friendly fire' incident
By Caroline Miller,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 30, 2010 7:24 AM CST
NATO Strike Kills Afghan Troops
An Afghan National Army soldier takes position during a fierce gun battle in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Friday, Jan. 29, 2010.    (AP Photo/ Abdul Khaliq)

'Friendly fire' from NATO air strikes killed 4 Afghan soldiers this morning, as their newly established outpost in an area southwest of Kabul was mistakenly targeted. The Afghan Defense Ministry immediately expressed outrage and called for a court martial for the troops responsible. The Canadian spokesman for the NATO forces expressed regrets, saying, "We work extremely hard to coordinate and synchronize our operations."

The nationality of the troops involved in the mishap wasn't identified, but Afghan civilians didn't have any doubts about who to blame. "As you can see, they dropped bombs on the outpost. It was the Americans of course. Who else can bomb us?" an angry village elder told Reuters . (More Afghanistan stories.)

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