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NATO Blames Miscommunication For 6 Afghan Deaths

   VOA News 09 July 2010
   NATO troops in Afghanistan (FILE)

Photo: AP

   NATO troops in Afghanistan (FILE)

   NATO says a communications error is to blame for the accidental deaths
   of six Afghan government soldiers in a botched airstrike Tuesday.
   Officials  said the latest incident of "friendly fire," which left one
   other  Afghan  soldier  wounded,  was  the  result of miscommunication
   between NATO troops and the Afghan National Army. Â
   They  said  a  NATO  helicopter patrol mistook the Afghan soldiers for
   insurgents   planting  landmines  in  the  eastern  Ghazni  province.Â
   Headquarters  cleared  the  crew  to  open  fire  based  on inaccurate
   information  about  the  location of Afghan troops in the area.  NATO
   officials have apologized for the deaths. Â
   Afghan  officials  condemned the incident, saying it was not the first
   time  international  troops  have  mistakenly killed Afghan soldiers.Â
   Civilian  casualties  and  friendly  fire  incidents  have  become  an
   extremely  controversial  issue  during  the  Afghan  war.   Military
   officials  have  restructured  the  rules  of engagement to reduce the
   number of such deaths.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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