Several Afghan policemen were killed and at least 13 others were wounded in northern Afghanistan when they were hit by a NATO airstrike targeting insurgents, local officials and the military alliance said Saturday.
The attack took place Friday after a NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) aircraft mistook Afghan national police for Taliban insurgents during an operation in Northern Province of Jowzjan, DPA reported.
"Four policemen were killed and 13 others were wounded when dozens of militants attacked a coalition-forces patrol and police" Abdul Aziz Ghairat, a provincial police chief said, without providing more details.
A statement on the ISAF website confirmed only three deaths.
"During a subsequent battle-damage assessment, it was discovered three Afghan National Police were accidentally killed and several more wounded during the air weapons team engagement" the statement said.
ISAF was sending an initial assessment team to Jowzjan province Saturday to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In July, five Afghan Army soldiers were killed accidentally in southern province on Ghazni.
Some 140,000 foreign troops are currently based in Afghanistan, fighting alongside Afghan forces against the Taliban.
The international troops also have been training Afghan police and army forces before handing over responsibility for the country's security to them.