Sunday 27 October 2013

Afghan Soldier Opens Fire On NATO Soldiers



A gunfight broke out between Afghan and
foreign soldiers on the outskirts of the
capital Kabul on Saturday, killing at least one
Afghan serviceman and injuring a number of
other soldiers, according to Afghan and NATO
officials. So-called “insider attacks” are severely
straining ties between the NATO-led alliance
and the Kabul authorities and further
undermine waning support for the war in the
West. They have become one of the Taliban’s
most effective weapons against the coalition. “There was an argument between an Afghan
and foreign soldier inside a military base…
where they opened fire on each other. An
investigation is ongoing,” defence ministry
spokesman Dawlat Waziri said. The soldier killed was Afghan, a spokesman
for the NATO-led force said. A number of
others were reported to have been injured. Insider attacks have been on the rise in recent
months, with at least five reported since Sept
21, compared to 11 incidents since the start of
the year. A flurry of attacks last year prompted the
coalition to briefly suspend joint military
operations, a cornerstone of its mission, and
adopt measures limiting interaction between
troops. “If it gets worse it’ll make the coalition plan
for post-2014 come apart pretty quick,” said
an army strategist working on those plans. Most foreign combat troops are due to leave
by the end of next year, but a small mission
may remain in Afghanistan to continue
supporting its newly-formed military and
police forces. Afghanistan and the United States have not yet
agreed on several issues in a bilateral security
pact and Washington has threatened to pull
out its troops next year unless differences are
ironed out soon.

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