| US troops killed four Afghan policemen and wounded another after mistaking them for militants during an operation in southern Afghanistan in which two Afghan soldiers died, officials said yesterday. The incident happened on Thursday in Helmand provinceâs Girishk district when US troops spotted a vehicle carrying five armed men approaching an area where they were in contact with militants, said US spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jerry OâHara. He said the police officers had not been in the uniform of the Afghan National Police and the vehicle had tried to drive away quickly.âCoalition forces shot at the vehicle, killing four and wounding one,â he said. âWe are conducting an investigation. Of course we regret this incident.â A senior police officer in Helmand, Haji Mohammad Rahim, said the friendly fire incident occurred after Taleban guerrillas attacked a convoy of US and Afghan troops in the same district, killing two Afghan soldiers.The US-led coalition said the troops were in contact with âenemy forcesâ when five men from the Afghan National Police (ANP) arrived in an unknown vehicle. âCoalition forces are currently investigating the incident.â Two âenemy forcesâ were also killed, coalition spokeswoman Sergeant Marina Evans said. Deputy provincial governor Mohaidin Khan also confirmed the incident, although he said four policemen were wounded. âWhen we asked the Americans for the reason, they said it was a mistake. They had mistaken the police for armed rebels,â he said. |