KABUL, Afghanistan — An errant U.S. airstrike confirmed by the Pentagon killed 12 Afghan National Police officers and wounded two others, Helmand provincial police chief Abdul Ghafar Safi said Saturday.
The death toll in Friday’s airstrike was determined after a site inspection of the compound in the Gereshk district, he said.
The United States in a statement confirmed that the airstrike on the Security Forces compound happened during a U.S.-supported operation against Taliban insurgents in the area. In the statement the U.S. offered its condolences to the families of the security forces who were killed.
While much of Helmand province is under the control of Taliban, Afghan national security forces have been waging fierce battles to retake territory. NATO and U.S. troops are in Helmand to assist Afghan troops.
Safi told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that the dead were police officers who were operating with the army
