Some time on Friday night, Afghan National Policemen opened fire on a joint Afghan-US patrol in the Kapisa Province of Afghanistan. The troops returned fire, killing two of the police in what has been described as a case of mistaken identity.

The coalition says the patrol was engaged in operations against Taliban senior leadership when they neared the police checkpoint. The forces reportedly had an interpreter who attempted to convince the police the troops were not insurgents

US spokesman Col. Greg Julian said he was “truly saddened by this loss and wish to express my regrets to the families of the policemen killed in this incident.” This appears to be the first case of US forces killing Afghan police in 2009, but in December of 2008 a US air strike in Zabul Province killed six police and a civilian.

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