'Friendly fire' kills Afghan civilians, policemen

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - At least eight civilians and four policemen were killed by mistake in two separate incidents across Afghanistan, officials and local media said.

Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, told Anadolu Agency that eight civilians and a police commander were shot dead during a night raid by government forces in Chaparhar district on Monday.

Women and children are among the eight others wounded in this night raid, he said. Many among the casualties are reportedly relatives of Fazal Hadi Muslimyar, chairman of the Masharano Jirga (lower house).

He added a fact-finding commission has been tasked to probe the unfortunate incident.

Separately, local Azadi Radio reported a U.S. drone strike killed three policemen and seven Taliban rebels in Choray district of southern Uruzgan province late on Monday.

Fighting flared-up across Afghanistan since the Taliban launched their annual spring offensive on April 25. According to local media, the Taliban have carried out close to 3,000 attacks in around a month since the start of their offensives.