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NATO service members killed friendly fire incident in southern Afghanistan, officials say
• KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Five NATO service members were killed in an apparent friendly fire incident in southern Afghanistan, the international coalition said on Tuesday.
• A statement from the coalition said all five soldiers died on Monday but did not give further details on the attack or the nationality of the soldiers. Coalition policy is for home countries to identify their military dead.
• Most of the forces operating in the area are from the United States.
• "The casualties occurred during a security operation when their unit came into contact with enemy forces. Tragically, there is the possibility that fratricide may have been involved. The incident is under investigation. Our thoughts are with the families of those killed during this difficult time," the coalition said in an announcement.
• If confirmed, it would be one of the most serious cases involving coalition on coalition friendly fire during the nearly 14 year Afghan war. One of the worst came in April 2002 when four Canadian soldiers were killed when an American F-16 dropped a bomb on them near a night firing exercise in the southern Kandahar.
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Pakistani spokesman says gunmen attacked airport security training center in Karachi
• KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) -- Gunmen in Pakistan attacked a training facility near the Karachi airport on Tuesday, a spokesman said.
• Pakistani television stations showed images of security guards rushing to the scene and frantically taking up positions behind buildings or earthen berms around the facility, which serves as a training center for airport security personnel. The facility is roughly one kilometer (half mile) from the Karachi international airport.
• The attack began as at least two groups of gunmen tried to enter the facility from two different entrances, said Ghulam Abbas Memon, a spokesman for the Airport Security Force. The security forces were fighting them back, he said. Memon did not know how many attackers were involved or whether there were any casualties.
• Details were sketchy and no one immediately claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack.
• The firefight came on the heels of a brazen siege by the Taliban who on Sunday (Continued on page 29)
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