diff --git a/drivers/block/drbd/drbd_nl.c b/drivers/block/drbd/drbd_nl.c
index 9e3f441e7e844..9c37f3d896a24 100644
--- a/drivers/block/drbd/drbd_nl.c
+++ b/drivers/block/drbd/drbd_nl.c
@@ -514,6 +514,12 @@ void conn_try_outdate_peer_async(struct drbd_tconn *tconn)
 	struct task_struct *opa;
 
 	kref_get(&tconn->kref);
+	/* We may just have force_sig()'ed this thread
+	 * to get it out of some blocking network function.
+	 * Clear signals; otherwise kthread_run(), which internally uses
+	 * wait_on_completion_killable(), will mistake our pending signal
+	 * for a new fatal signal and fail. */
+	flush_signals(current);
 	opa = kthread_run(_try_outdate_peer_async, tconn, "drbd_async_h");
 	if (IS_ERR(opa)) {
 		conn_err(tconn, "out of mem, failed to invoke fence-peer helper\n");