5 U.S. Special Ops troops killed in Afghanistan 'friendly fire' bombing

5 U.S. Special Ops troops killed in Afghanistan &#039;friendly fire&#039; bombing

(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

On Monday night, five U.S. Special Operations troops and at least one Afghan soldier were killed when a NATO coalition aircraft mistakenly bombed their position in Afghanistan's southern Zabul Province. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said only that "there is the possibility that fratricide may have been involved," but U.S. and Afghan officials confirmed Tuesday that the incident was a "friendly fire" error, The New York Times reports.

The Special Ops and Afghan troops were conducting security sweeps before Sunday's presidential runoff election when they were ambushed by Taliban fighters. The coalition forces called in airstrikes, leading to one of the worst friendly fire accidents among coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox