U.S. military and provincial officials in Paktika say an American soldier has been shot dead by an Afghan policeman.
U.S. Army Major John Redfield told VOA News a group of American soldiers were returning from a routine patrol when they came under fire from a member of the Afghan National Police."The ANP member shot from a tower and also threw a hand grenade toward the troops who were returning to their base," he said. "The other service members in the group fired back on the tower and killed the ANP member."
This is the second time in a month an Afghan police officer has attacked and killed an American soldier. In that attack, at a police station in the same province, the policeman also was killed.
The incidents raise concern insurgents may have infiltrated Afghanistan's corruption-ridden police force.
Major Redfield says it is premature to speculate on a motive for this latest incident in the Bermel district of Paktika province, 200 kilometers south of Kabul.
"That is a question, of course, that would be investigated," he said. "So that will be part of the investigation. But at this time I do not know the reason why the Afghan policeman would have done this."
Afghan police and soldiers routinely work alongside international forces to battle the rising insurgency.
Suspected Taliban rebels, meanwhile, are continuing their assault on the city of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. Officials say a civilian died and five others were wounded when insurgents fired a rocket into a market. The area is known as a major opium producing center.
Provincial police say that nearby in the Nad Ali district an air strike by international troops may have killed as many as 18 people, including some women and children. A statement from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force says it is investigating the claim, but is unaware of civilian casualties.
President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly warned that civilian deaths from such bombing runs hurt public support for his government and the international military mission in Afghanistan.
NATO and U.S.-led forces have vowed to do whatever possible to minimize civilian casualties following a U.S. special forces raid two months ago in Herat province.
Afghanistan's government says 90 civilians were killed by a bombing run during the operation. The U.S. military conducted an investigation concluding that 33 civilians had died and that troops had acted in line with the rules of engagement. |
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