A NATO airstrike in the western province of Badghis mistakenly hit a joint base housing coalition troops and Afghan security forces, killing four Afghan soldiers and three policemen, Afghan officials said today. An Afghan army commando unit, district police members and foreign forces were in the base in the Bala Marghab district at the time of yesterday's airstrike, which also wounded 15.

The Afghan defense ministry said NATO and Afghan authorities were investigating the incident and would issue a report soon. Also yesterday, more than 25 members of NATO and Afghan security forces were injured during a search for two US paratroopers missing from a resupply mission since Wednesday. Local police said the two Americans were swept away by a river in the western province of Badghis when they tried to retrieve supplies that had been airlifted and had accidentally fallen into the water.