Afghanistan"s Defense Ministry said Saturday that a NATO air strike in the western province of Badghis mistakenly hit a joint base, housing coalition troops and Afghan security forces, killing four Afghan soldiers and three policemen. NATO would not comment on whether an air strike had taken place, The Associated Press reported. Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said an Afghan army commando unit, district police members and foreign forces were in the base in the Bala Marghab district at the time of the air strike Friday afternoon. Roauf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the western regional police commander, said the air strike also wounded 15 Afghan soldiers and one policeman. «During an air attack by NATO forces in Badghis province, seven Afghan forces were killed,» the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said NATO and Afghan authorities were investigating the incident and would issue a report soon.
