US, Afghan infantrymen killed in firefight between Afghan, NATO forces – Reuters

<span identification=”midArticle_start”/><span identification=”midArticle_0″/>JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) – An American and an Afghan soldier had been killed on Wednesday when a firefight broke out between Afghan and NATO coalition forces at a compound the place a senior U.S. diplomat met a provincial governor in eastern Afghanistan, police and U.S. sources said.

<span id=”midArticle_1″/>Soldiers from both sides were wounded in the shooting, which erupted shortly after the diplomat left the compound aboard a helicopter, according to U.S. and Afghan sources.

<span id=”midArticle_2″/>A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, estimated that around six American personnel were wounded, but the Pentagon said only that “several” were injured in the attack.

<span id=”midArticle_3″/>”I can confirm that one American soldier was killed today,” Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters.

<span id=”midArticle_4″/>Asked whether this was an insider attack by an Afghan soldier turning his weapon against NATO forces, Warren said: “It’s a little early to tell. Indications are leaning that way.”

<span id=”midArticle_5″/>”But we need to let a little more information come out first,” Warren added.

<span id=”midArticle_6″/>Two Afghan soldiers were also injured in the shootout, but it was unclear who had fired first, police said, adding that an Afghan soldier was being questioned.

<span id=”midArticle_7″/>The U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a statement on the incident without referring to casualties.

<span id=”midArticle_8″/>”We are aware that there was an exchange of gunfire involving Resolute Support service members … All Chief of Mission personnel of the visiting party are accounted for,” the U.S. Embassy said.

<span id=”midArticle_9″/>The frequency of “insider attacks” in Afghanistan has fallen sharply this year as most foreign forces withdrew from the country in 2014.

<span id=”midArticle_10″/>A small contingent of around 12,000 NATO troops remains in Afghanistan to train Afghan forces after the combat mission formally ended closing yr.

<span identification=”midArticle_11″/>Wednesday’s incident was once the primary on account that January, when three U.S. armed forces contractors have been killed by way of an Afghan soldier within the capital Kabul.

<span identity=”midArticle_12″/>Within the remaining years of the struggle, dozens of incidents severely eroded belief between Afghan forces and their world allies, forcing the coalition to reduce interplay with govt troops.

<span identification=”midArticle_13″/>The Taliban have now and again claimed that insider assaults mirror their skill to infiltrate the enemy, however Afghan and coalition forces say incidents extra regularly come up over misunderstandings or arguments between troops.

<span identification=”midArticle_14″/><span identification=”midArticle_15″/> (Reporting Rafiq Sherzad in Jalalabad, Mirwais Harooni and Jessica Donati in Kabul, Phil Stewart in Washington, writing by means of Jessica Donati; enhancing through Simon Cameron-Moore and G Crosse)

<span identity=”midArticle_16″/>

The post US, Afghan infantrymen killed in firefight between Afghan, NATO forces – Reuters appeared first on Smart Health Shop Blog.

via Smart Health Shop Blog http://ift.tt/1HS4PQn