NATO strike kills Afghan troops

KABUL, Afghanistan – A NATO airstrike hit two Afghan military checkpoints on Monday in a restive province east of the capital, Kabul, killing seven Afghan troops in what an Afghan official described as an accident.

The Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, expressed his “profound sorrow” over the tragedy and ordered an investigation into the killings.

The incident happened as coalition helicopters were flying over an area in Logar province where clashes were underway between Afghan troops and Taliban fighters, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said. Insurgents fired toward the helicopters, prompting a response that destroyed one army checkpoint, the ministry statement added.

Logar provincial army commander Abdul Razaq said the early morning strike took place in the district of Baraki Barak, about 30 miles east of Kabul. Razaq said seven troops were killed while five were wounded in the strike.

District governor Mohammad Rahim Amin said the NATO airstrike was “likely a mistake, due to bad coordination” in an area where Taliban insurgents are highly active.