They were in a fire-fight while on patrol in Helmand province in which an Afghan man, thought to be an off-duty policeman, also died.

BBC: Cpl Channing Day

Exposed and with little available cover, the patrol was totally vulnerable to enemy rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons fire.

WHITEHOUSE: Medal of Honor for Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller

No German soldiers or planes were involved in the airstrike, but a German patrol made it to the site about 10 hours after the attack and came under small-arms fire, the German military said.

CNN: NATO begins probe into deadly Afghan airstrike