KABUL May 2: Three police officers died in a gun battle with troops on patrol from a US military base in eastern Afghanistan after a mix-up at a checkpoint, police said on Sunday.
The shooting broke out on Friday night near Gardez, some 100 miles south of the capital Kabul, in Paktia province, said Gen Haygul Saleman khel, the provincial police chief.
It was unclear if it was US soldiers or allied Afghan militia troops housed at the American base in Gardez who exchanged fire with the officers at the police checkpoint. "Because of a misunderstanding, they opened fire on each other," Gen Saleman khel said.
Two more police officers injured in the battle were taken to the American base for treatment, he said. "The Americans are patrolling around the city all the time, and I don't know what triggered this," Gen Salemankhel said. "We're still investigating."-APP
