It continues…
British troops kill Afghan cop in shootout: security sources
11 minutes ago
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) - An exchange of fire between British soldiers and police in southern Afghanistan left a policeman dead and two men wounded from each side, security forces said Thursday.
The shootout, apparently a case of mistaken identity, erupted as police were patrolling the main square in the southern town of Lashkar Gah ahead of celebrations for the Afghan New Year Thursday, police said.
Helmand provincial police chief General Mohammad Hussain Andiwal told AFP that the NATO soldiers had opened fire on the policemen at around midnight, killing one and wounding another.
“I don’t know why they did this because the policemen were in uniform and they were moving near the police vehicle,” he said.
The British military in Lashkar Gah confirmed the incident and said a British soldier was also wounded. The event was being investigated, Lieutenant Colonel Simon Millar told AFP.
There have been several incidents of “friendly fire” among the different Afghan and international forces working together to put down an insurgency led by the extremist Taliban movement, which was ousted from government in 2001.
International troops have also come under fire for the number of civilians being killed in military operations.
On Wednesday provincial officials said US-led forces killed six Afghan civilians, two of them children, in a raid in the eastern province of Khost.
The US-led coalition confirmed only two civilians were killed, one of them a child, and said several insurgents also died.
What is the problem with these “friendly fire” people? Are they too drunk or too stressed out and feel “relieved” after the friendly fire?