Kabul: At least seven Afghan troops killed in an airstrike by NATO forces in a restive province east of the capital. Afghan officials have described it as an accident due to bad coordination.

The incident happened as coalition helicopters were flying over an area in Logar province where clashes were underway between Afghan troops and Taliban fighters, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

Insurgents fired toward the helicopters, prompting a response that destroyed one army checkpoint, the ministry statement added. An unspecified number of the army members were "killed and wounded," the ministry said, adding that the incident was under investigation.