http://deepbluehorizon.blogspot.com/2014/06/five-americans-killed-in-friendly-fire.html

Five Americans killed in friendly fire incident by B-1B bomber
Posted by Steve Douglass at 5:37 AM
Tuesday, June 10, 2014

KABUL, Afghanistan - Five American service members were killed in southern Afghanistan when a B-1B bomber was called in by a SOF unit that had come under intense Taliban attack.

The five were killed along with an Afghan soldier in Zabul province, said the province’s Police Chief Ghulam Sakhi Roghliwanai.“But the airstrike mistakenly bombed their own friends too,” he said.The alliance did not offer additional details.

According to sources, the troops were conducting a security sweep. Such operations have been stepped up ahead of the Afghanistan’s presidential runoff election, which will take place on Saturday.

The patrol came under heavy fire from enemy forces and an airstrike was called in. "That’s when the casualties occurred, a NATO statement said — but then it added this line: Tragically, there is the possibility that fratricide may have been involved.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/11/world/asia/friendly-fire-strike-kills-5-special-operations-soldiers-in-afghanistan.html?_r=0

‘Friendly Fire’ Strike Kills 5 Special Operations Soldiers in Afghanistan
By AZAM AHMEDJUNE 10, 2014

KABUL, Afghanistan — Five American Special Operations service members and at least one Afghan soldier were killed when a coalition aircraft accidentally unleashed an airstrike on their position in southern Afghanistan, one of the deadliest instances of friendly fire in more than a decade of war, Afghan and American officials said Tuesday.

The incident occurred Monday night in Zabul Province as coalition and Afghan troops were conducting security operations prior to the presidential runoff election scheduled for Saturday, said Ghulam Sakhi Roghliwanai, the province’s police chief. As the mission drew to a close, Taliban militants ambushed the fighters, prompting them to call for close air support, Mr. Roghliwanai said.

The aircraft accidentally struck the position of the American soldiers, killing five of them along with at least one Afghan soldier. The incident took place in the province’s restive Arghandab district.

Airstrikes have long been a point of contention between the government of Afghanistan and the coalition forces, most often due to civilian casualties in villages or areas with a high concentration of insurgents. President Hamid Karzai has grown increasingly frustrated over such deaths, and has refused to sign a security agreement with the United States until it ceases air attacks of any kind.

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Taimoor Shah contributed reporting from Kandahar, Afghanistan, and Eric Schmitt from Washington.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-10/friendly-fire-may-be-behind-5-u-s-deaths-in-afghanistan.html

Friendly Fire May Be Behind 5 U.S. Deaths in Afghanistan
By Tony Capaccio and David Lerman 2014-06-10T12:22:30Z

Five U.S. special operations forces were killed in Afghanistan yesterday in a possible “friendly fire” incident involving a B-1B bomber, NATO and U.S. officials said.

The soldiers were members of the International Security Assistance Force and died during an operation in southern Afghanistan after their unit came in contact with enemy forces, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Chris Belcher, deputy director of the ISAF headquarters public affairs office, said in an e-mail.

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A defense official who spoke on the condition of not being named pending an investigation said the aircraft involved was a B-1B bomber providing close air support to the U.S. personnel.

Designed for Cold War missions into the Soviet Union, the bomber for years has been used to provide ground support to units in Afghanistan using satellite-guided bombs.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/NATO-says-5-service-members-killed-in-Afghanistan-5540546.php

5 US troops killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan
By RAHIM FAIEZ, Associated Press
Updated 6:06 am, Tuesday, June 10, 2014

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Provincial police chief Gen. Ghulam Sakhi Rooghlawanay said there was a joint operation by Afghan and NATO troops in the area's Arghandab district early Monday. After that operation was over, the troops came under attack from the Taliban and called in air support, he said.

"After the operation was over on the way back, the joint forces came under the attack of insurgents, and then foreign forces called for air support. Unfortunately five NATO soldiers and one Afghan army officer were killed mistakenly by NATO air strike," Rooghlawanay said.

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Separately, a NATO statement said a service member died Monday as a result of a non-battle injury in eastern Afghanistan.

The deaths bring to 36 the number of NATO soldiers killed so far this year in Afghanistan, with eight service members killed in June.

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