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Man in Afghan army uniform kills NATO soldier
KABUL: An attacker wearing an Afghan army uniform opened fire on international troops on Sunday, killing one, NATO said. Coalition forces returned fire and killed the attacker. The alliance did not provide more details, saying an investigation was under way. It also did not disclose the nationality of the service member killed. NATO usually waits for member nations to provide those details. The shooting was the latest in a string of attacks against US and other foreign forces by their Afghan partners or assailants posing as them. Such attacks have raised the level of mistrust and ill will between the US-led coalition and its Afghan counterparts and drawn concern about the readiness of government forces to take over their own security ahead of the 2014 deadline for the withdrawal of foreign combat troops. The insider threat to foreigners trying to mentor and strengthen Afghan security forces has existed for years but has grown more deadly. The US-led coalition routinely reports each time an American or other foreign soldier is killed by an Afghan in uniform, but the military is under-reporting the number of overall attacks. It doesnt report the wounding of troops who were attacked alongside those who were killed. US officials say that in most cases the Afghans who turn their guns on their allies are motivated not by sympathy for Taliban or on orders from insurgents, but rather act as a result of personal grievances against the coalition. Also on Sunday, a NATO service member was killed by a bomb in eastern Afghanistan. The coalition initially said three service members were killed in the attack, but later corrected its statement. So far this month, seven coalition members have died in Afghanistan, bringing the years toll to 139. Posted by: Steve White 2012-05-07 |
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