At least eight Afghan soldiers have been killed in a US air strike on an army checkpoint in Logar province south of Kabul, Afghan officials say. They say two US helicopters attacked the checkpoint in broad daylight on Monday. Several troops were injured. The army commander in the area told the BBC that the checkpoint was clearly flying an Afghan flag. Logar is an unsettled area where much of the countryside is in the hands of the Taliban. There is no confirmation that Monday's strike was carried out by international forces, although local witnesses said it was, the BBC's David Loyn in Kabul reports. The Afghan army does have some attack helicopters. The US said it was investigating the incident. There are about 10,000 international troops in Afghanistan who are training and advising Afghan forces. Their fighting role is limited to special forces operations now that Nato's combat mission has ended. Civilian and military deaths in coalition air strikes have been a contentious issue in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001. They have provoked anger from the government and from many Afghan people. The latest violence comes amid an increase in Taliban attacks on government and foreign targets during their summer offensive. Last week Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar backed peace talks with the government. The two sides agreed to meet again in the coming weeks, drawing international praise.
