Six Afghan soldiers killed by friendly fire

Source Sydney Morning Herald

SIX Afghan soldiers have been killed by friendly fire from German troops, when the Afghans arrived on the scene of a Taliban attack that killed three German soldiers. An Afghan government official has told Al Jazeera that officials believe the Germans opened fire on the Afghans, mistaking them for Taliban fighters. The three German soldiers were killed in a Taliban ambush as they cleared bombs in northern Afghanistan, AFP reported, citing the German military and a local official. Eight other German soldiers were wounded, four seriously, in the clash near Chahar Dara, southwest of Kunduz, military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Joerg Langer said. The fighting began early on Good Friday and continued into the evening, Lt-Col Langer said, adding that reinforcements had been called in. Belgium's defence ministry said that six Belgian troops were unharmed after being caught in the same ambush, but were trapped in their armoured vehicle.