ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Sgt. Jessi Ann McCormick/Army
It’s hard to be an American ally in Afghanistan.
On March 13, US aircraft struck an Afghan army checkpoint after pro-government troops had accidentally opened fire at a joint U.S. and Afghan force convoy.
Army Lt. Ubon Mendie, a spokesman for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, told Military Times that the US Air Force conducted “precision self-defense air strikes” on positions from which the fire had been opened. He claimed that the US force attempted to de-escalate the situation, but continued to receive fire.
“We are operating in a complex environment where enemy fighters do not wear uniforms and use stolen military vehicles to attack government forces,” Mendie stressed.
According to the Kabul government, 5 soldiers were killed and 10 others were wounded in the incident. No US casualties were reported.
