NATO airstrike kills five Afghan soldiers: Afghan officials

Image
AFP Puli Alam (Afghanistan)
Last Updated : Mar 06 2014 | 2:20 PM IST
A NATO airstrike in eastern Afghanistan today accidentally killed five Afghan soldiers, government officials said, while the coalition said it was investigating reports of the incident.
The deaths are likely to worsen already fraught relations between the US-led NATO coalition and President Hamid Karzai, who has often seized on botched airstrikes to launch bitter criticism of the international military effort in Afghanistan.
"At 3:30 am this morning, due to a NATO airstrike in Charkh district, Logar province, five service members of the Afghan national army were martyred and eight others were wounded," defence ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi said on his Twitter account.
Khalilullah Kamal, the Charkh district governor, told AFP he had visited the site of the attack, which he said was from a US drone.
"The post is totally destroyed," he said. "The Americans used to be in that post but since they left, the ANA (Afghan army) took over. The post is on a hilltop. The attack was conducted by drones."
President Karzai, who is due to stand down after elections on April 5, in an interview this week expressed his "extreme anger" towards the United States as it prepares to end its 13-year war in Afghanistan.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Mar 06 2014 | 2:20 PM IST

Next Story