Afghan Soldier Kills US Soldier, Wounds Two Italian Soldiers

Attacker Wounded, Under Observation

According to NATO, a US soldier was slain today on a base in the Baghdis Province. An Afghan soldier was said to have shot him, along with two Italians who were only lightly wounded in the incident.

The attacker reportedly was stopped when he approached a helicopter landing zone, before opening fire on the soldiers. He was also wounded and is currently under observation.

Afghan officials say the soldier was believed to have mental health problems, and it is unclear if the shooting was, like so many others, a function of “infiltration” of the military by insurgents.

Still, the attack will draw further attention to the questionable reliability of the Afghan security forces, at a time when NATO is looking to dramatically increase the size of the force.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.