A friendly fire airstrike killed five U.S. troops in southern Afghanistan on Monday, according to the Washington Post.
Ghulam Sakhi Rogh Lewanai, the police chief in Zabul, told The Los Angeles Times:
Afghan and international forces had carried out a joint operation against Taliban fighters in Arghandab on Monday. At the end of the day, the forces returned to their base, where at about 9 p.m. they came under fire from Taliban rockets, Rogh Lewanai said.
Coalition forces on the ground called for airstrikes against the Taliban, which mistakenly hit the Afghan and international troops, he said.
"Five American troops were killed yesterday during a security operation in southern Afghanistan. Investigators are looking into the likelihood that friendly fire was the cause. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these fallen."
One Afghan soldier was also killed in the airstrike.
