Afghanistan: Air attack kills 17 policemen 'by mistake'

[Reddington]

Afghanistan: Air attack kills 17 policemen 'by mistake'

Head of the provincial council said air attack took place as Afghan police were fighting the Taliban near the city.

4 hours ago

An air attack has killed 17 policemen by mistake during a battle with the Taliban just outside the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, officials said.

Attaullah Afghan, the head of the provincial council, said the attack took place on Thursday while Afghan police were fighting the Taliban near the city.

Fourteen policemen were wounded in the attack, he added.

A spokesperson for the provincial governor said the strike was carried out by NATO Resolute Support mission force in the Nahr-e-Seraj area of the Helmand-Kandahar highway.

There was no immediate response to a query to the US military in Kabul. American forces regularly back Afghan troops when asked to.

Helmand's Governor Mohammad Yasin said the air raid is being investigated. A Taliban statement claimed US forces were behind it.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019...lls-17-policemen-mistake-190517060933327.html

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

Not the first time. Is it negligence or intentional?

Has US/Nato abandoned its former allies?

If they think Taliban will be impressed, they don’t know them well.

 

[313ghazi]

Oops. I guess they all look the same now?

 

[Smarana Mitra]

NATO, especially USA, boasts that it has extreme accuracy and precision while using its weapons. Yet, when it comes to bombing, it bombed police? 17 dead & 14 injured means that USA dropped bombs directly on the police and not just damage due to vicinity. There was no urgency to bomb nor were the planes evading from air defence. It looks highly intentional attack to me as such inaccuracy is unheard of before.

 

[Ghareeb_Da_Baal]

#hashtag

 

[Mamadouso]

NATO, especially USA, boasts that it has extreme accuracy and precision while using its weapons. Yet, when it comes to bombing, it bombed police? 17 dead & 14 injured means that USA dropped bombs directly on the police and not just damage due to vicinity. There was no urgency to bomb nor were the planes evading from air defence. It looks highly intentional attack to me as such inaccuracy is unheard of before.

Why would they intentionally do it though, it would turn everything on its head.

 

[PDF]

Friendly fires occur, but in Afghanistan, they are repeating frequently. Such incidents will further polarize ANSF and NATO relationship.

 

[SIPRA]

"Friendly fires" too are a feature, which display some cultural proximity and association between India and current Afghan regime.

"Kabootar ba kabootar, baaz ba baaz"

 

[Fawadqasim1]

"Friendly fires" too are a feature, which display some cultural proximity and association between India and current Afghan regime.

"Kabootar ba kabootar, baaz ba baaz"

Absolutely.

 

[Smarana Mitra]

"Friendly fires" too are a feature, which display some cultural proximity and association between India and current Afghan regime.

"Kabootar ba kabootar, baaz ba baaz"

Absolutely.

This is NATO doing friendly fire, not india or Afghanistan. Duh!

 

[scionofPakwattan]

Why would they intentionally do it though, it would turn everything on its head.

exactly! my opinion is that wrong coordinates were provided by the troops on the ground

 

[Smarana Mitra]

exactly! my opinion is that wrong coordinates were provided by the troops on the ground

Possible. The troops on the ground may have given their own coordinates instead of enemy coordinates. Or the bombers might have got confused with who is whom. There is also a chance that there was some internal problems and was resolved as "accident".