US helicopter gunships pounded an Afghan army post killing 9 Afghan soldiers

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http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE49L0ZU20081022

Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:28pm BST

KHOST, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Foreign troops killed nine Afghan soldiers in a mistaken air strike in the southeast of the country overnight, the Afghan Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

The U.S. military confirmed Afghan soldiers may have been killed and wounded in a case of mistaken identity but said it did not have any casualty figures.

Scores of Afghan civilians have been killed in air strikes by international troops in Afghanistan this year, Afghan officials say, feeding a perception that NATO-led and U.S. coalition forces do not take enough care when calling in air support.

But it is still rare for foreign troops to hit their allies in the Afghan security forces

Helicopter gunships pounded an Afghan army post on a road in Dowa Manda district of Khost province, a Taliban stronghold, district chief Lutfullah Babakarkheil said. Eight soldiers were killed and four wounded, he said.

The Afghan Defence Ministry in Kabul put the number of troops killed at nine.

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1. What the hell is going on over there?

Last night, we were shown a "friendly fire" attack on our own soldiers.
Not to mention, the entire fiasco was a clusterfuck - leaving our soldiers exposed and open to fire.
What the hell is going on? Is anyone in charge over there?
More to the point: Why the %#$& are we even there???
Get out now!