Five NATO troops and an Afghan soldier were killed in a friendly-fire airstrike in southern Afghanistan, Afghan officials and Taliban said on Tuesday.
The NATO—led international military alliance said the soldiers were killed on Monday in the southern part of the country, but did not give details on the nationalities of the deceased soldiers or the exact location of the incident.
Afghan police said that NATO aircraft bombed the soldiers.
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“They were returning from an operation launched in Gazak area of Arghandab district last night and faced a Taliban ambush,” said Ghulam Sakhi Roghlewanay, the Zabul provincial police chief.
“They asked for an air support, but the aircraft mistakenly bombed their own soldiers in which five foreign and one Afghan soldier were killed.” Sharifullah Naseri, a spokesman for the Zabul governor, said the dead soldiers were Americans.
Taliban also said the NATO troops were killed by their own side.
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“The enemy soldiers came under mujahideen attack last night in Arghandab district of Zabul province. Their planes came to help them but bombed their colleagues,” said Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman.
Meanwhile, the military alliance said that one of its soldiers was killed on Monday in a “non—battle” injury in eastern Afghanistan.