KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Afghan police mistook American troops on a nighttime mission for Taliban fighters and opened fire on them, prompting American forces to return fire and call in attack aircraft, killing seven Afghan police, officials said Tuesday.

President Karzai’s spokesman labeled the shooting at a remote police checkpoint in the eastern province of Nangarhar “a tragic incident” caused by a lack of communication.

“The police forces were not aware of the coalition’s operation,” said spokesman Karim Rahimi. “The police checkpoint in the area thought that they were the enemy, so police opened fire on the coalition, and then the coalition thought that the enemies were firing on them, so they returned fire back.”

The commander at the post, Esanullah, who goes by one name, said American gunfire and helicopter rockets killed seven policemen and wounded four.

Major Chris Belcher, a spokesman for the American-led coalition, said a combined coalition-Afghan force was ambushed by small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades from two sides while on the way to conduct an operation against a suspected Taliban safe house.

“Afghan and coalition forces took incoming fire and they responded to it,” Major Belcher said. The forces called in air support, he said.

A policeman at the remote checkpoint said police called out for the American forces to cease their attack.

“I thought they were Taliban, and we shouted at them to stop, but they came closer and they opened fire,” said Khan Mohammad, one of the policemen at the post. “I’m very angry. We are here to protect the Afghan government and help serve the Afghan government, but the Americans have come to kill us.”

Meanwhile, a senior international Red Cross official said Tuesday in Geneva that the impact of violence on civilians in Afghanistan is worse now than a year ago.

Pierre Kraehenbuehl, the ICRC’s director of operations, said fighting between armed opposition groups and the Afghan army supported by international forces had intensified significantly in the south and east of the country since 2006 and was spreading to the north and west.

“Civilians suffer horribly from mounting threats to their security, such as increasing numbers of roadside bombs and suicide attacks, and regular aerial bombing raids,” he said in a statement.

Mr. Kraehenbuehl said ordinary Afghans – especially in remote areas – also still lack access to basic services such as medical care.

“The civilians most in need are also the most difficult to reach,” he said.

ICRC, which has been working in Afghanistan for 20 years, said it had become “increasingly challenging to carry out humanitarian work outside major cities.”

The Geneva-based organization said it was in contact with all parties to the conflict – which would include Taliban militants – in order to obtain security guarantees and access throughout the country.

ICRC delegates also visited over 2,400 detainees held by Afghan or international forces in connection with the conflict to ensure they were treated in accordance with international law.

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Associated Press writer Frank Jordans contributed to this report from Geneva.