News / Afghanistan

10 Afghan soldiers killed in US airstrike

Monday, 20 July 2015 5:13 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 20 July 2015 11:45 AM ]

The file photo of a US helicopter gunship

A US airstrike in Afghanistan has targeted an army checkpoint manned by Afghan soldiers in the country’s central Logar Province, killing at least 10 service members.

The attack was reportedly carried out by two US helicopters against a checkpoint in the Baraki Barak district of Logar Province on Monday.

Earlier reports had put the number of the Afghan soldiers killed at 14.

According to District governor Mohammad Rahim Amin, the targeted outpost was “not a suspicious area,” as the “Afghan flag was waving at the checkpoint in Baraki Barak when the Americans launched their attack.”

The US military said it was investigating the matter.

“We are aware of an incident involving US forces in Logar Province this morning, July 20th,” a US military spokesman, Colonel Brian Tribus, said.

Afghanistan faces a security challenge years after the United States and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed Taliban from power, but many areas in the country are still beset with insecurity.

US-led NATO forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan last December, but a force, mostly from the US, remains for purported training and counter-terrorism operations.

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