By KUNA,
Kabul : Five Afghan soldiers were wounded with friendly fire by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the country’s eastern province of Kunar while a police trainer was shot dead by armed men in Kandahar on Sunday.
According to an ISAF spokesperson, the Afghan troops were on patrol in Pech district when the international troops opened fire at them mistaking them for militants in the area.
The injured soldiers were provided with immediate medical attention by evacuating them to the nearest medical facility.
“It is with deep regret that this incident has taken place. We have initiated investigations to determine how this happened and how to prevent future occurrences,” said Colonel John Spiszer. Separately, armed men shot dead a police trainer in southern Afghanistan the same day, officials said.
The police trainer was killed by two armed motorcyclists in second district of the southern Kandahar province, a police officer said. He added the assailants managed to escape.
The slain police officer has been identified as Abdul Raziq, teacher at the police academy. He was shot dead while on way home from office in the afternoon.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. However, police believe involvement of Taliban militants, fighting a guerilla war against the foreign troops and the Afghan government, in the killing.
Earlier, the militants had killed a top woman police officer Malalay Kakar in the same province. Before the killing of Kakar, the militants had also claimed responsibility for killing the women affairs’ department chief Safia Ama Jan in Kandahar more than a year back.
Violence is on the rise in Afghanistan over the previous few months. About a fortnight back, armed motorcyclists had gunned down female worker of a British charity in the country’s central capital Kabul. Days after the incident, two foreign officials of the DHL shipping company were gunned down, apparently, by their own security guard in Kabul. The guard, police believe, had shot himself dead later.