Afghan Forces Killed in Friendly-Fire Airstrike, Capping Deadly Week
1, 2017
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Culminating a deadly week for Afghan forces in the south of the country, an airstrike from friendly forces
mistakenly struck an Afghan unit in Helmand Province on Sunday, killing at least 10 security personnel, officials said.
In Farah Province, where fighting has raged in at least three districts, 24 police
officers have been killed and three wounded in the past week, officials said.
In neighboring Uruzgan Province, days of intense fighting has left at least 27 members of the security
forces dead, according to Amir Mohammed Barakzai, head of the provincial council there.
The latest Afghan losses in Helmand come on the back of heavy fighting
and attacks in the neighboring provinces of Uruzgan, Kandahar and Farah, which left dozens of soldiers and police officers dead.
Heavy fighting has continued in the Seya Gerd district of Parwan Province for several days now, with the Taliban claiming they have captured the area
but security forces saying they are still resisting and trying to regain the outposts lost to them.
In Faryab Province, officials said on Saturday they had finally broken the siege around a security base
in the Ghormach district, where about 500 personnel had remained surrounded for nearly two months.