<span style="color: #222222;">At least eight Afghan police were killed in an American airstrike during a clash with the Taliban, an official said today, in the latest incident of potential friendly fire in the conflict.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Police were fighting the Taliban in Helmand province late Thursday when the Afghan forces called for US air support.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The death toll was confirmed by interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi on Facebook. He said 11 more police had also been wounded in the strike. Only Afghan and US forces in Afghanistan conduct airstrikes. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The US Military confirmed the deaths without specifying the death toll. A joint delegation has been appointed to investigate the incident.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Incidents known as friendly fire are not unheard of in Afghanistan, and have bred deep mistrust between local and foreign forces. In one of the deadliest, 16 Afghan policemen were killed in 2017, when they were mistakenly targeted by US airstrikes in Helmand.</span><br />''