{"id":66337,"date":"2019-03-14T22:46:20","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T22:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:10:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:10:59","slug":"is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/","title":{"rendered":"Is miscommunication to blame in US airstrike that killed at least 5 Afghan troops?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KABUL, Afghanistan \u2014 Authorities are investigating an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/2019\/03\/13\/us-aircraft-strike-afghan-checkpoint-after-possible-friendly-fire-incident\/\" target=_blank>errant U.S. strike on an Afghan military base<\/a> in the country\u2019s south that killed at least five Afghan troops, a lawmaker said Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The soldiers were killed by friendly fire Wednesday in what was supposed to be a precision airstrike by U.S. forces supporting Afghan soldiers battling insurgents near the city of Tarin Kot in Uruzgan province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Defense Ministry earlier said the fatalities were the result of a miscommunication between Afghan troops on the ground and forces in the air, without providing details.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/2019\/03\/13\/us-aircraft-strike-afghan-checkpoint-after-possible-friendly-fire-incident\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"193\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635693754820541923-935768jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US aircraft strike Afghan checkpoint after possible friendly fire incident<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">American forces conducted an airstrike near an Afghan National Army checkpoint after the Afghan forces manning the checkpoint exchanged fire with a joint U.S. and Afghan force convoy.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawmaker Obaidullah Barikzai from Uruzgan province told The Associated Press that Afghan soldiers inside the base in Tarin Kot believed a darkened convoy approaching the base was the Taliban \u2014 not U.S. and Afghan forces \u2014 and opened fire, invoking a blistering retaliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Taliban often travel in convoys with no vehicle lights on, Barikzai said. The Taliban control vast areas of Uruzgan province and the Afghan security forces had been on alert that an attack could be coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A U.S. air-to-ground strike was called in to aid the convoy when it came under fire. Barikzai said it hit the Afghan army base, located barely 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the governor&#8217;s house, but other reports say the strike hit outside the post, which had recently been moved from one location to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. military said Wednesday it responded to incoming fire on Afghan and U.S. forces on the ground and attempted to come to their defense by conducting a precision airstrike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barikzai said many of the wounded in the deadly incident were in critical condition but did not provide details.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/10\/04\/american-general-says-afghan-battlefield-losses-are-rising\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"206\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/28899427978_aa818c10a3_k.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">American general says battlefield losses for Afghan forces are rising<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Afghan military and police forces had higher numbers of battlefield casualties in a \u201cdifficult and bloody summer\u201d of fighting the Taliban insurgency, the American general overseeing the war said Thursday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite intensified <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/13\/longest-us-taliban-peace-talks-see-progress-but-agreement-on-withdrawal-timeline-remains-elusive\/\" target=_blank>negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban<\/a> to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan, the insurgents have been carrying out near-daily attacks across the country, mainly targeting the government and security forces and causing staggering casualties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, in the capital of northern Balkh province, shops and businesses were closed in a city-wide strike to protest the appointment of a new provincial police chief over the objections of a former governor and powerful warlord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New police chief Abdul Raqib Mubarez landed at the airport in Mazar-e-Sharif on Thursday but police blocked him from heading into the city to take up his post. The standoff escalated into a firefight that lasted several hours between government forces and militia members loyal to warlord Atta Mohammad Nur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It ended with 25 of Nur&#8217;s militia jailed, said Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi. One member of the government security forces was wounded, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/12\/21\/a-blow-to-morale-afghan-generals-worry-about-us-withdrawal\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18355695013940.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US troop withdrawal will be serious blow to Afghan forces\u2019 morale, generals fear<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The announcement is seen as muddling peace talks and giving the Taliban leverage.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The development could escalate into an all-out feud between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Nur, a powerful warlord who holds sway over Balkh province. He is also is a prominent member of the so-called Northern Alliance that was led by Ahmad Shah Masoud, who was killed in a suicide bombing on Sept. 9, 2001, just two days before the terrorist attacks in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several years ago Afghanistan legalized militias loyal to the country&#8217;s warlords, many of whom took up government positions after the overthrow of the Taliban. Initially, after the 2001 collapse of the Taliban, the United Nations ordered all militias disarmed but as the country&#8217;s security deteriorated, many warlords both with the government and in opposition redeployed their militias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nur called for the city-wide shutdown and is demanding Ghani withdraw Mubarez&#8217;s appointment and instead name Nur&#8217;s choice for the post, as Ghani allegedly promised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press writer Kathy Gannon in Islamabad contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Authorities are investigating an errant U.S. strike on an Afghan military base in the country\u2019s south that killed at least five Afghan troops, a lawmaker said Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":99484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,8,23,93,12,25,70],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2093],"class_list":["post-66337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-army"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"IXN2UKC7WZEB3IGXXSJ7CYCW64","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is miscommunication to blame in US airstrike that killed at least 5 Afghan troops? - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Authorities are investigating an errant U.S. strike on an Afghan military base in the country\u2019s south that killed at least five Afghan troops, a lawmaker said Thursday.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is miscommunication to blame in US airstrike that killed at least 5 Afghan troops?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Authorities are investigating an errant U.S. strike on an Afghan military base in the country\u2019s south that killed at least five Afghan troops, a lawmaker said Thursday.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-14T22:46:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T12:10:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amir Shah, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amir Shah, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Is miscommunication to blame in US airstrike that killed at least 5 Afghan troops?\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-03-14T22:46:20+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T12:10:59+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 599,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP19072409595606.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Army\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Is miscommunication to blame in US airstrike that killed at least 5 Afghan troops? - Army Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP19072409595606.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-03-14T22:46:20+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T12:10:59+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Authorities are investigating an errant U.S. strike on an Afghan military base in the country\u2019s south that killed at least five Afghan troops, a lawmaker said Thursday.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP19072409595606.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP19072409595606.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"flashpoints\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Is miscommunication to blame in US airstrike that killed at least 5 Afghan troops?\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Army Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Is miscommunication to blame in US airstrike that killed at least 5 Afghan troops? - Army Times","description":"Authorities are investigating an errant U.S. strike on an Afghan military base in the country\u2019s south that killed at least five Afghan troops, a lawmaker said Thursday.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Is miscommunication to blame in US airstrike that killed at least 5 Afghan troops?","og_description":"Authorities are investigating an errant U.S. strike on an Afghan military base in the country\u2019s south that killed at least five Afghan troops, a lawmaker said Thursday.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/","og_site_name":"Army Times","article_published_time":"2019-03-14T22:46:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T12:10:59+00:00","author":"Amir Shah, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amir Shah, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Is miscommunication to blame in US airstrike that killed at least 5 Afghan troops?","datePublished":"2019-03-14T22:46:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T12:10:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/"},"wordCount":599,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19072409595606.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Flashpoints","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters","Your Army"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/","name":"Is miscommunication to blame in US airstrike that killed at least 5 Afghan troops? - Army Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19072409595606.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2019-03-14T22:46:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T12:10:59+00:00","description":"Authorities are investigating an errant U.S. strike on an Afghan military base in the country\u2019s south that killed at least five Afghan troops, a lawmaker said Thursday.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19072409595606.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19072409595606.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/03\/14\/is-miscommunication-to-blame-in-us-airstrike-that-killed-at-least-5-afghan-troops\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Flashpoints","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/","ad_zone":"flashpoints"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Is miscommunication to blame in US airstrike that killed at least 5 Afghan troops?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","name":"Army Times","description":"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization","name":"Army Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","caption":"Army Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Army Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19072409595606.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66337"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66347,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66337\/revisions\/66347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66337"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=66337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}