NATO soldier,
civilian
contractor
killed in
Afghanistan
By Sayed
Salahuddin,
Published: SUNDAY,
SEPTEMBER 30,
10:55 AM ET
KABUL – A NATO
soldier and a civilian
contractor were
killed in Afghanistan
Saturday, hours
after the United
States said joint
raids with Afghan
forces were
returning to
normal.
Saturday’s attack,
which was initially
reported as an
apparent insider
attack, also killed
three Afghan
troops, NATO
officials said. But
Sunday, NATO’s
International
Security
Assistance Force
attributed the
attack to possibly
insurgent fire.
GALLERY
Life and war in
Afghanistan:
September
2012: Photos of
everyday life in
Afghanistan as
coalition forces
attempt to
transfer
responsibilities
to Afghan
troops.
The incident
happened in
eastern
Afghanistan, NATO
officials said. ISAF
said in a statement
that the incident
occurred while an
ISAF unit was
manning a
temporary check
point in an area
near and Afghan
National Army unit.
The statement
said the shooting
occurred following
a short
conversation
between NATO and
Afghan personnel.
In an ensuing
exchange of fire,
three Afghan
troops were killed.
“We deeply regret
the loss of life in
this tragedy,” the
statement said.
“Our deepest
sympathies are
with the families of
our personnel who
were killed.”
An official in Maidan
Wardak province
said the attack
happened in a post
in the province’s
Sayed Abad
district. Most
coalition troops
in the province,
which is less than
an hour’s drive
west of Kabul, are
Americans.
The Taliban, who
have claimed
responsibility for a
number of past
insider attacks
through their
infiltrators,
described
Saturday’s incident
in a statement as
an “internal clash”
between Afghan
and foreign troops.
The attack came
hours after U.S.
officials in
Washington said
joint small raids
with Afghan forces
were resuming
after being halted
early this month
following an
increase insider
attacks, also
known as green-
on-blue attacks.
Dozens of Afghan
forces have also
died in insider
attacks. But the
rising toll and
spread of strikes
against foreign
forces has
touched the
nerves of NATO and
U.S. officials.
“I’m mad as hell
about them, to be
honest with you,”
Gen. John Allen, the
top commander of
U.S. and NATO
forces in
Afghanistan, told
CBS’ “60 Minutes”
in an interview
scheduled to be
broadcast Sunday,
according to the
Associated Press.
“It reverberates
everywhere across
the United States.
You know, we’re
willing to sacrifice a
lot for this
campaign, but
we’rea not willing to
be murdered for
it.”b