Small Wars Journal

Shootout Between U.S. and Afghans Kills Soldiers on Both Sides

Sat, 02/08/2020 - 4:21pm

Shootout Between U.S. and Afghans Kills Soldiers on Both Sides by Mujib Mashal - New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — A shootout between Afghan and American soldiers during joint operations in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday resulted in fatalities on both sides, Afghan and American officials said.

Details of the incident, in Nangarhar Province where American Special Forces were helping Afghan commandos and the Afghan Army clear an area threatened by the Taliban, were scarce. It was not clear whether the firefight was the work of Taliban infiltrators, a major concern in the past, or the result of an argument between allied forces that turned deadly.

Two Afghan officials said five or six American soldiers and six Afghan soldiers were killed. A United States military official said there were at least six American casualties and confirmed that they included fatalities but did not say how many…

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