Kunduz, Afghanistan, Feb 18, 2010, SPA -- Seven Afghan police officers werekilled today when their vehicle was mistakenly hit by fire from aNATO military plane, dpa cited police and witnesses as saying. Afghan and NATO-led forces began a joint operation against Talibanmilitants in Emam Saheb district of northern province of Kunduzearlier in the day, district police chief Abdul Qayoum said. "During the operation a NATO jet hit a police ranger and killedseven policemen," Qayoum told the German Press Agency dpa. "Webelieve the pilot mistook the police forces for Taliban." One police officer was wounded in the attack, he said. Resident Abdul Latif told dpa that one of his relatives, who was apolice official, was killed in the attack. "Some of the bodies were torn to pieces and are beyondrecognition," he said in an interview at the hospital, where thebodies were taken. Sofi Nazikmir, a member of provincial council meanwhile said localvillagers told him that they saw military plane firing a rocket atthe police vehicle. A NATO spokesman in Kabul said that the alliance was aware of anincident, and that its forces were investigating. Mohammad Omar, Kunduz's provincial governor said authorities inthe region had been asked to probe the incident. The deadly airstrike could strain the relations between the Afghangovernment and NATO forces at a time when both sides are calling forcloser partnership and cooperation in fight against Taliban, who areactive throughout the war-torn country. As part of US new strategy to turn the tide of the eight-year-warin Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan and NATO troops, mostly US andBritish soldiers, began the largest-ever operation in southernprovince of Helmand to root out Taliban in the last main bastion inthe country. The NATO leaders have recently endorsed a new plan to boost up thenumber of Afghan police and army to 300,000 by summer 2011. Thealliance are to send more trainers to accelerate the process.--SPA 19:17 LOCAL TIME 16:17 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/749616