A NATO airstrike today mistakenly hit an Afghan army unit in southern Afghanistan, killing five soldiers, dpa quoted a Defence Ministry spokesman as saying. The soldiers were conducting an anti-insurgent operation in the Andar district of Ghazni province when a plane of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) targeted the unit, killing five soldiers and injuring two, General Zahir Azimi said. "It is not the first time," he said. "It has happened several times in the past, but we hope that this should be the last time." ISAF spokesman General Joseph Blotz said a lack of coordination between foreign troops and Afghan soldiers on the ground could have been the reason for the mistake. "What we know so far is, yes, indeed, ANA [Afghan National Army] troops have been attacked by the ISAF," he said. "I do clearly regret what has happened." A joint investigation by Afghan and NATO officials was under way, Blotz said. -- SPA
