Soldiers with the Georgia National Guard 876th Vertical EN Company file into a departure ceremony before the unit deploys to Afghanistan, Thursday, May 29, 2014, in Toccoa, Ga.
Two U.S. defense officials say the five Americans killed in Afghanistan, apparently by friendly fire, were special operations troops.
The officials made the disclosure on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details publicly until Pentagon notification to the families of the five had been completed. They provided no details about the special operations unit involved or the exact circumstances of the five deaths.
The incident happened Monday in southern Afghanistan. An Afghan official said the five were killed, along with one Afghan officer, in a mistaken allied airstrike. If confirmed it would be one of the worst friendly fire incidents involving United States and coalition troops since the start of the war nearly 14 years ago.