American Airstrike Hits Afghan Security Forces<br />A statement by the United States military in Afghanistan expressed regret for the casualties and said "aerial fires" in support of an operation by Afghan forces had "resulted in the deaths of the friendly Afghan forces who were gathered in a compound." The military’s statement said an investigation would be conducted to "determine the specific circumstances<br />that led to this incident." Local officials said that nine Afghan policemen had been killed.<br />Badakhshan Province said that All the 35 police members were shot by the Taliban.<br />While there are officially about 8,000 members of the police force in Helmand Province, United States Marine officers advising the Afghan forces in the province say many of them are difficult to locate,<br />and many have been reduced to protecting a security rim around the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah.<br />Hussaini said that The Taliban first attacked police check posts in Tagab district<br />and when Afghan police retreated from their posts they faced a Taliban ambush,<br />Earlier in the day, officials in northeastern Badakhshan Province said that as many as 35 police officers had been killed in a Taliban ambush.<br />By MUJIB MASHAL and TAIMOOR SHAHJULY 21, 2017<br />KABUL, Afghanistan — An American airstrike in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand killed<br />several members of the Afghan security forces, Afghan and American officials said Friday.
